VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The top-ranked Loras College women's track and field team were crowned the NCAA Indoor Champions for the second time in program history after scoring 51 points, beating out Washington University by two points for the title.

The championship came down to the final event of the meet: the 4x00-meter relay race. To win the title outright, the Duhawks had to either finish fifth or higher, or they had to finish within striking distance of the Wash. U. Bears.

Rochester's 4x400m relay squad finished the race in first place, one second ahead of the Bears, while the Duhawks' quartet of Grace Alley, Alyssa Pfadenhauer, Kelly Kohlhof, and Harmony Creasy finished the race in sixth – earning the team three points and solidifying the program's second title in the last three seasons. Finishing top-eight in the race earned the four First Team All-America status. 

The No. 7 men's team finished 16^th with 11 team points. UW-La Crosse ran away with the title, scoring 74 points. Nebraska Wesleyan was the only American Rivers Conference team to finish higher than Loras, as the Prairie Wolves ended the meet tied for 14^th with Pomona-Pitzer.

Alley finished the meet in historic fashion, as the Seneca, Ill. native scored over half of Loras' points by winning two individual titles and earning three All-America honors. After winning the pentathlon on the first day of the national meet, the senior turned in another championship-caliber performance, winning the high jump with a mark of 1.74 meters (5-8.5). Fellow senior Sara Hoskins finished second in the same event after clearing the same mark, which set a new personal best for the Bettendorf, Iowa native. The finale determination for the event title came down to misses, which Alley had fewer of.

On the men's side, Ryan Harvey earned All-American status in the mile after closing out the race in seventh with a season-best time of 4:07.9. The 4x400-meter relay squad of Ian Fagan, Joe Franke, Ted Kruse, and Carson Vaske earned All-America honors after the quartet finished seventh in the relay at a time of 3:15.9.

For Loras, its the eighth consecutive podium finish for the Duhawks since the 2019 indoor national meet. In all, the Purple and Gold earned three individual championships at the 2024 Indoor Championships and saw 14 student-athletes earn First Team All-America honors.
 
LORAS' ALL-AMERICA & NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Men
Derik Bunten: First Team All-America – Long Jump (8^th – 7.10m/23-3.5)
Ian Fagan: First Team All-America – 4x400m Relay (7^th – 3:15.9)
Joe Franke: First Team All-America – 4x400m Relay (7^th – 3:15.9)
Tommy Halatek: Second Team All-America - Weight Throw (17.83m/58-6)
Ryan Harvey: First Team All-America – Mile (7^th – 4:07.9)
Ted Kruse: First Team All-America – 4x400m Relay (7^th – 3:15.9)
Holden Murphy: First Team All-America – Weight Throw (3^rd – 19.98m/65-6.75)
Holden Murphy: Second Team All-America - Shot Put (11th - 16.44m/53-11.25)
Carson Vaske: First Team All-America – 4x400m Relay (7^th – 3:15.9)
Ray Venditti: Second Team All-America - Pole Vault (16th - 4.73m/15-6.25)
 
Women
Grace Alley: National Champion – Pentathlon (3,843 points)
Grace Alley: National Champion – High Jump (1.74m/5-8.5)
Emma Seipel: National Champion – Long Jump (5.99m)
Grace Alley: First Team All-America – Triple Jump (12.10m/39-8.5)
Grace Alley: First Team All-America – 4x400m Relay (6^th - 3:50.59)
Grace Alley: Second Team All-America -Long Jump (10th - 5.54m/18-2.25)
Frankie Chaidez: Second Team All-America - 800m (15th - 2:13.31)
Harmony Creasy: Second Team All-America - Long Jump (9th - 5.63m/18-5.75)
Caitlyn Cox: First Team All-America – Weight Throw (4^th – 18.78m/61-7.5)
Harmony Creasy: First Team All-America - 4x400m Relay (6^th - 3:50.59)
Sara Hoskins: First Team All-America – High Jump (1.74m/5-8.5)
Kelly Kohlhof: First Team All-America – 4x400m Relay (6^th - 3:50.59)
Alyssa Pfadenhauer: First Team All-America - 4x400m Relay (6^th - 3:50.59)
 
TEAM SCORES (Top 15 Scores)
Men
16^th – 11 Points

Women
1^st – 51 Points
 
Loras will now switch gears and prep for the upcoming outdoor track and field season. The Duhawks will kick things off with the Wartburg Select on April 5-6. In all, the Purple and Gold will partake in six regular season meets before the start of the American Rivers Conference Championships, which will take place May 9-11 in Lincoln, Neb. at Abel Stadium on the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan University. The 2024 NCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships will commence Thursday, May 23 and will wrap up on Saturday, May 25.