Emily Thomas Namd To All-WCC Preseason Cross Country Team
8/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Gonzaga University junior Emily Thomas has been named to the All-West Coast Conference women's cross country preseason team in a vote of the conference coaches announced Friday.
Thomas and her Bulldog teammates were picked to finish fifth in the WCC this season.
The Washougal, Wash., native finished ninth in the WCC Championship last season to earn All-WCC honors and went on to finish 56th in the NCAA West Regional.
"It's virtually last year's results," Gonzaga assistant coach Patty Ley said of the WCC preseason poll. "Polls are a great thing to bring attention to the sport. It's not a surprise where we were ranked. This conference is improving rapidly. I think a great indicator is that within five years any of the top five-to-seven teams in the conference can be a top three contender."
In addition to Thomas, the Bulldogs return senior Lindsey Drake; juniors Emily Albrecht, Krista Beyer and Catherine Theobald, and sophomores Maggie Jones, Elizabeth Ryan and Erin Bergmann from last year's WCC team that finished fifth.
Defending champion University of San Francisco was picked to successfully defend its title, receiving seven of the nine first-place votes and 63 points. Second-year WCC member BYU received one first place vote and 56 points for second and the University of Portland snared the other first-place vote and had 51 points for third. Loyola Marymount University was fourth with 44 points and Gonzaga fifth with 33 points, six better than sixth-place Santa Clara University.
The University of San Diego was seventh with 24 points, Saint Mary's College eighth with 14 points and Pepperdine University ninth with 12 points.
The Dons led the way with five runners on the All-WCC team, Portland had two and Gonzaga and BYU one each.
The Bulldogs open the season Sept. 1, joining the University of Idaho, Eastern Washington University and Washington State University at Spokane's Mead High at 10 a.m.
