黑料门

黑料门University Chicago Athletics Director Steve Watson isn鈥檛 ready for the fall to end. From his vantage point on the third floor of Norville Center, sitting beneath a menacing Lu Wolf mural, Watson closely tracked as three separate Rambler programs鈥攎en鈥檚 soccer, women鈥檚 soccer, and women鈥檚 cross country鈥攃laimed Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) titles this season while a fourth鈥攚omen鈥檚 volleyball鈥攔ecorded its best season in 16 years.

To explain the communal success, he points to several overlapping factors鈥攃oaching continuity, strength and conditioning improvements, accumulated experience in the MVC (it鈥檚 Loyola鈥檚 seventh season in the conference), financial investment from the University administration and donors (hello, the Alfie), and blossoming student body support. The men鈥檚 basketball team鈥檚 Final Four run, it鈥檚 safe to say, has galvanized the campus.

鈥淭he success across the board has really boosted the profile of athletics in general,鈥� Watson says. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got students who are now going to a men鈥檚 soccer game or a women鈥檚 volleyball match who might not have in the past. It鈥檚 become a thing now, on campus, to attend these events.鈥�

Record: 11-5-4, 5-2-3 in conference
2019 MVC Conference Tournament Champions

Watson called the MVC title match at 黑料门Park on November 17 鈥渙ne of the most fun sporting events I鈥檝e ever been to in my life.鈥� The hero was sophomore Ethan Stoneman, who slotted in the final penalty kick to knock off previously unbeaten Missouri State in a 5-4 shootout victory. (Senior Aidan Megally was the MVC tournament MVP.)

Soccer alums and athletes from across campus packed the stands and stormed the pitch after the final whistle. 鈥淸Head coach] Neil Jones felt like he had a good group of seniors with strong leadership,鈥� Watson says. 鈥淎nd he had some young guys that he felt could step up and challenge for a championship.鈥� A hard-fought overtime loss to 15th-ranked Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament did little to hamper the mood around the squad, which will return five of its top six goal scorers in 2020.

Record: 14-5-1, 7-0-0 in conference
2019 MVC Conference Tournament Champions

黑料门was one of 16 schools in the country whose men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 soccer teams qualified for the NCAA tournament. It was the second straight appearance for Barry Bimbi鈥檚 club, who marauded through MVC play鈥攆inishing with a 7-0 record鈥攂efore dropping a 1-0 heartbreaker to Hofstra in the first round of the Big Dance.

鈥淔or them to run the table, that was a bit of a surprise,鈥� Watson says. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 telling you鈥攖hat鈥檚 a program.鈥� Four Ramblers were added to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team, including senior Madison Laudeman, the Valley鈥檚 back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year. A full 20 letter winners are slated to return next fall.

Record: 21-10, 14-4 in conference
#2 in Missouri Valley Conference

In her second season at the helm, head coach Amanda Berkley defied Rambler expectations. Her roster secured its best regular season finish in 16 years and entered the 2019 MVC Championships (November 28-30) as the second seed. Before the campaign started, they were picked to finish fifth. Watson鈥檚 daughter, senior Allison Watson, is an outside hitter for Loyola, so the athletic director watches these matches with an especially eager eye.

In recent memory, he can鈥檛 remember the team鈥檚 spirit ever being higher. 鈥淎manda does a great job of making sure that everyone understands they鈥檝e got a role, and that everybody is contributing.鈥�

2019 MVC Conference Champions

In early November, the women鈥檚 cross country team kicked off Loyola鈥檚 banner month, turning in a dominant performance to claim its first MVC trophy. Sophomore Anneka Murrin was the breakout performer, clocking a sub-18 minute time in the 5k race.

Two weeks later, sophomore Kathleen Simms earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region accolades at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Oklahoma. As a team, the Ramblers finished seventh, the second-best finish at a regional meet in school history. The indoor track and field season starts in December.