Cross Country Teams Climb in Regional Rankings
10/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS -- The Gonzaga women's cross country team received its highest regional ranking ever when it was positioned seventh in the USTFCCCA West Region ranking Monday. The Zag men rose to 11th in the latest poll.
After stellar performances against elite competition at the Washington Invitational Saturday, both Bulldog programs moved up two spots in their respective rankings. The races were run at the Jefferson Golf Course in Seattle, the same course that will host the NCAA West Regionals.
Among the 12 teams that were in the women's field, four were nationally ranked and nine appeared in the regional rankings. The Zags entered the race ninth in the West Region and finished sixth in the second annual invitational on the Jefferson Golf Course. GU pulled off an upset finishing ahead of UCLA, which is sixth in the region.
"It's fun to see us at the highest we've ever been," Gonzaga women's Head Coach Patty Ley said. "We are trying to balance the new `us' between higher expectations and celebrating our accomplishments. But, we can put a smile on our faces today!"
The GU men also clashed with some of the best in the west. The men's field included six nationally-ranked programs and nine that were regionally-ranked. The Zags ended the race in ninth.
"Our men got a boost and a little more respect in the rankings," Director of Gonzaga Cross Country Pat Tyson said. "It was such a tough meet in Seattle and we certainly were close, the team score didn't represent how close it really was. All nine teams ahead of us are very good and many are in the national top 25!"
Both the latest polls featured the most shifting and changing of rankings so far this season. Oregon leapfrogged Stanford in both polls for the top spot, while the Cardinal women went to third in the women's poll, edged out by Washington for second. The GU women were the highest ranked of three West Coast Conference teams (No. 10 Portland and No. 12 San Francisco). The BYU women remained third in the Mountain region.
On the men's side, four WCC programs made the top-15 west ranking. San Francisco went from 11th to 7th, Portland is No. 8, the Zags are 11th, and Saint Mary's remained No. 15. BYU is still second in the Mountain region.
"Nice to see three solid teams from the West Coast Conference in top 11 West Region and BYU No. 2 behind Colorado in the strong Mountain Region," Tyson said. "It should make for a great showdown later this month at Plantes Ferry Park!"
The Bulldogs have one final tune-up before the conference championships at Plantes Ferry on Oct. 31. Gonzaga travels to Lewiston, Idaho, for the Inland Empire Challenge on Oct. 17. The meet, hosted by Lewis-Clark State College, will be run at the Lewiston Orchards. The women's race is scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. start.
Women's West Region Rankings
| Rk. | School | Pvs. |
| 1 | Oregon | 2 |
| 2 | Washington | 4 |
| 3 | Stanford | 1 |
| 4 | Boise State | 3 |
| 5 | California | 5 |
| 6 | Arizona State | 7 |
| 7 | Gonzaga | 9 |
| 8 | Eastern Washington | NR |
| 9 | Cal Poly | 8 |
| 10 | Portland | 10 |
| 11 | Arizona | 11 |
| 12 | San Francisco | 12 |
| 13 | UC Davis | 13 |
| 14 | Washington State | 14 |
| 15 | UCLA | 6 |
Men's West Region Rankings
| Rk. | School | Pvs. |
| 1 | Oregon | 2 |
| 2 | Stanford | 1 |
| 3 | California | 5 |
| 4 | UCLA | 3 |
| 5 | Boise State | 9 |
| 6 | Washington | 8 |
| 7 | San Francisco | 11 |
| 8 | Portland | 6 |
| 9 | Washington State | 7 |
| 10 | Cal Poly | 12 |
| 11 | Gonzaga | 13 |
| 12 | Long Beach State | 14 |
| 13 | UC Santa Barbara | 10 |
| 14 | Arizona State | 4 |
| 15 | St. Mary's (Calif.) | 15 |
