CHICAGO, Ill. (Sept. 23) -  The UC Santa Barbara cross country teams will travel to Illinois this Friday for the 47th annual Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational, hosted by Loyola University Chicago. The meet marks the Gauchos' first trip to the Midwest and provides an opportunity to compete against a strong field of programs across the Big Ten and SEC.

DETAILS
Race 1: Women's 6k at 7 a.m.
Race 2: Men's 8k at 7:40 a.m.
Location: Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course, Chicago, Il.
Forecast: Sunny, high of 68 degrees, wind 6 mph
How to Watch: Live results

LAST MEET
The Gauchos continued their strong start to the 2026 season at the Kim Duyst Invitational last weekend, with the men's team placing first overall and the women's squad earning second. In the men's 8k, Santa Barbara packed three runners in the top-10, finishing sixth through eighth in personal bests. Manny Correia led (24:33.9), followed by Will Mulliken (24:25.5) and Camden Luecht (24:37.2). With the rest of the scoring seven finishing in the top-20, UCSB came out on top with a 41 point team victory.

On the women's side, Jordin Lieberman led the Gauchos with a second place finish in the 6k, clocking a personal best 20:44.9. Her performance currently stands as the fastest 6k time in the Big West and earned her the first Big West Cross Country Athlete of the Week honor of her collegiate career. Sierra Gill (21:25.1) and Ryann Strawn (21:28.7) followed with personal bests of their own. With five scorers finishing in the top-10, Santa Barbara secured second overall with 33 points.

COMING UP
Santa Barbara will have three weeks to recover and train for the Highlander Invitational on Saturday, October 17 for the last meet of the regular season. The Gauchos will return to Riverside for the Big West Championships, hosted by UC Riverside on October 31.