Murray, Valgoi Named All-Americans After Stellar Showings at NCAA Championships

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Loyola senior runners Declan Murray (Strongsville, Ohio) and Gina Valgoi (Detroit, Mich.) have both earned All-American honors after superb performances on the national stage at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Murray was named a First Team All-American after finishing in third place in the men's 800m run, barely falling short of breaking his own school record.

The senior emerged from the back of the pack and surged into the top three in the final 200m of the event on Saturday night. He had finished with a top-eight time in one of Friday night's two preliminary heats to advance, earning First Team honors.

“Declan was just tremendous,” head coach Randy Hasenbank said in a release. “This means a lot to the program as a whole. It adds credibility to our program. We want athletes to believe in what we are doing, work hard and think big. Of course, Declan is a fantastic human being, which makes us so proud to have a young man of his caliber in our program.”

Valgoi earned Second Team All-American honors on Friday night after finishing 13th in the women's 5000m final.

“I’m very proud of Gina,” Hasenbank said. “She becomes Loyola’s first female indoor NCAA All-American. She is very humble and just loves to run for Loyola.”