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Loyola Greyhounds

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Loyola Greyhounds
Logo
UniversityLoyola University Maryland
ConferencePatriot League
NCAADivision I
Athletic directorDonna Woodruff
LocationBaltimore, Maryland
Varsity teams17
Basketball arenaReitz Arena
MascotIggy
NicknameGreyhounds
ColorsGreen and gray[1]
   
Websiteloyolagreyhounds.com

The Loyola Greyhounds (also called the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds) are the athletic teams that represent Loyola University Maryland. The teams include men and women's basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, and tennis. Men's sports also include golf, while women's sports also include track and field and volleyball. The Greyhounds compete in NCAA Division I and have been a member of the Patriot League for all sports since July 1, 2013.

Loyola's fight song, "Howl for the Hounds," was written by Andrew R. Grillo and Michael R. Sellitto and unveiled in November 2003.[2]

History

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Conference affiliations

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Loyola's athletic programs made the transition to NCAA Division I from Division II when it became a charter member of the ECAC-Metro Conference in 1981.[3] The circuit's name was changed to the Northeast Conference on August 1, 1988.[4]

Loyola was a full member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in all but two sports from July 1, 1989 to June 30, 2013.[5] The exceptions were the men's and women's lacrosse teams which were in the ECAC Lacrosse League and the Big East Conference respectively. The move to the Patriot League as its tenth member was announced on August 29, 2012 and became official on July 1, 2013.[6]

Athletic directors

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Name Years Highlights Notes
Lefty Reitz 1938–1973 Reitz Arena named in his honor
Tom O'Connor June 1974–June 1986 Move to NCAA Division I [7]
Tom Brennan July 1986–October 1990 [8]
Joe Boylan February 1991–June 2010 Ridley Athletic Complex opens [9][10]
Jim Paquette July 2010–June 2017 Move to Patriot League [11][12]
Donna Woodruff July 2017– [13]

Teams

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Men's sports Women's sports
Basketball Basketball
Cross Country Cross Country
Golf Lacrosse
Lacrosse Rowing
Rowing Soccer
Soccer Swimming & Diving
Swimming & Diving Tennis
Tennis Track and Field
Volleyball

Basketball

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Main articles: Loyola Greyhounds men's basketball and Loyola Greyhounds women's basketball

The Loyola men's basketball team has a long history and has been playing since the 1908-1909 season. In all that time, the team has appeared twice, 1994 and 2012, in the NCAA tournament. The team plays its games in Reitz Arena and is coached by Tavaras Hardy.

Skip Prosser spent one season as head coach of the Greyhounds, leading them to their first-ever Division I Tournament appearance in 1994. In 2012, as winners of the MAAC tournament, Loyola earned its second trip to the NCAA tournament under then-head coach Jimmy Patsos.

Lacrosse

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See also: Loyola Greyhounds men's lacrosse and Loyola Greyhounds women's lacrosse

The Loyola men's lacrosse team has played since 1938, with a two-year break in 1944 and 1945, winning over 400 games in that time.[14] They won its first championship in the sport, the first national title in the university's Division I history, in 2012.[15] The Loyola women's lacrosse program is fifth all-time among NCAA Division I women's lacrosse teams with 362 wins.[16] The Greyhounds maintain several annual rivalries, headlined by Johns Hopkins (series page) and Towson (series page).

Men's soccer

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See also: Loyola Greyhounds men's soccer

The Loyola Men's Soccer team has consistently proven to be one of the most successful teams in the athletic department. Since 1965, the team has suffered only four losing seasons. The team is a perennial power in the MAAC and has reached the NCAA Division I National Tournament seven times since joining Division I in 1979, including quarterfinal appearances in 1986 and 1987 and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2001. Loyola enjoyed an undefeated regular season in 2008 before being upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.[17] Former Greyhounds include the 2009 Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year, Zach Thornton as well as many others who have played in the MLS and other professional leagues.[18]

Golf

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The men's golf team has won 22 conference titles:

Note: 1992 co-champions with Siena

2 GCAA Academic All-Americans: Patrick McCormick and Ryan McCarthy[21]

Rugby

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Spring 2007 season play

The Loyola University Rugby Football Club is the men's rugby union team that represents Loyola in the National Small College Rugby Organization.[22] The club is composed of over 50 student-athletes, alumni volunteers, and professional trainers. Founded in 1976 by a group of Loyola students, LURFC continues to be the oldest and most active club sport at the college.[23] LURFC and its players have achieved many All-American titles and U.S. Rugby rankings, currently ranked #20 in the country and in the NSCRO "Sweet 16" in 2017.[24]

The Greyhound ruggers have also traveled abroad to play Irish teams, including teams in Limerick, Dublin, and Cork.[24] Loyola plays on Lugano Field, located on the grounds of the Ridley Athletic Center. Lugano Field is a state of the art turf pitch that, while used by the university as a whole, is a "rugby first" pitch, regulation size, lined and with limited grandstands. It is named in honor of the most decorated player in Loyola history, Sean Lugano, who died serving others in the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001.[25]

Former teams

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Football

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Loyola's football program has been defunct since 1933.

Wrestling

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Loyola's wrestling program was discontinued in 1987.[26]

References

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  1. ^ {{cite manual |url=https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/loyolagreyhounds.com/documents/2023/9/7/Athletics_ID_Guide_2023.pdf |title=Loyola Athletics Identity Guide |date=September 7, 2023 |access-date=September 25, 2023}
  2. ^ Wilson, Sydney. "Loyola fight song unveiled," The Greyhound, Monday, March 22, 2004.
  3. ^ Ventre, Ralph. "Back to the Beginning: NEC Celebrates 30 Years," Northeast Conference, Thursday, March 3, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  4. ^ Official press release issued Tuesday, August 2, 1988 announcing name change from ECAC-Metro Conference to Northeast Conference. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  5. ^ "MAAC Chronology," MAAC Sports, August 25, 2008.
  6. ^ "Loyola University Maryland accepts invitation to join Patriot League starting with 2013-14 season" (Press release). Patriot League. August 29, 2012. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  7. ^ Tom O'Connor (profile) – LinkedIn.
  8. ^ Dr. Tom Brennan (profile) – LinkedIn.
  9. ^ Henneman, Jim. "Boylan comes home to accept Loyola post," The Baltimore Sun, Friday, December 21, 1990.
  10. ^ "Joe Boylan to Retire as AD after 19 Years in July 2010," Loyola University Maryland Athletics, Thursday, October 8, 2009.
  11. ^ "Loyola Names Jim Paquette Director of Athletics," Loyola University Maryland press release, Wednesday, February 17, 2010.
  12. ^ "Loyola Athletic Director/Asst. VP Jim Paquette to Step Down in June," Loyola University Maryland Athletics, Friday, March 24, 2017.
  13. ^ "Donna Woodruff Named Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics at Loyola," Loyola University Maryland Athletics, Tuesday, May 23, 2017.
  14. ^ "Loyola Men's Lacrosse". Tealdragon.net. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  15. ^ "NCAA CHAMPS! Loyola Wins First NCAA Lacrosse Title, 9–3, Over Terps," Loyola University Maryland Athletics, Monday, May 28, 2012.
  16. ^ "Jen Adams Named Loyola Women's Lacrosse Head Coach :: The NCAA's all-time leading scorer will be the Greyhounds seventh head coach". Laxmagazine.cstv.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  17. ^ "Official Athletic Site of Loyola University Maryland". Loyolagreyhounds.cstv.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  18. ^ "Profile: Zach Thornton". Soccertimes.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  19. ^ "Northeast Conference – Men's Golf Champions" (PDF). Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  20. ^ "MAAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships History". Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  21. ^ "Cleveland Golf/Srixon All America Scholars". Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  22. ^ "About the Loyola College Rugby Football Club". www.nscro.org. February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  23. ^ "Rugby". Loyola.edu. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  24. ^ a b "Proud Traditions". Loyola.edu. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  25. ^ ""I'm Not Going to Die This Way": Family and Friends Honor Sean Lugano,'95". magazine.loyola.edu. Loyola.edu. July 22, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  26. ^ "College Programs Dropped Nationally". USA Wrestling-Kansas. February 22, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
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