Men's Cross Country and Track Signs Talented Class
4/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
April 27, 2017
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga men's cross country and track programs will welcome four new members to their 2017-18 rosters, Director of GU Cross Country and Track and Field Pat Tyson announced Thursday.
Yacine Guermali, Washington's 4A state cross country champion, out of Camas High School, leads the gifted recruits coming to Spokane. Following Guermali to GU is Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) distance star, Luke Mason. Add two western Washington All-State athletes, Cullen McEachern (Kamiak HS | Mukilteo, Wash.) and Sam McCloughan (Edmonds-Woodway HS | Edmonds, Wash.) into the mix, and GU Cross Country and Track and Field looks to continue to build a nice stable of excellent distance runners. Tyson will announce the addition of a few more athletes who will be walk-on candidates in the near future.
"Simply put, a 'wow' recruiting class," Tyson said. "Like last year's group, we are bringing in the kind of student-athletes that will make Gonzaga proud! I had to downsize a little in the volume of runners coming in, but I did not sacrifice quality! The below four are simply a dream group to add to our group coming back next year. They are all about an environment of excellence in all they do! They are coming into an amazing culture that now exists at Gonzaga."
Vancouver, Wash. | Camas High School
Guermali joins Gonzaga after a stellar career at Camas High School. He won the Washington Class 4A state cross country title this past fall. He crossed the line at 15:12.7, easily the fastest time in all divisions. Guermali placed third at the prestigious Nike Borderclash and fifth at the Nike Regional in Boise, Idaho. He was an individual qualifier for Nike Cross Country Nationals as well.
"I chose Gonzaga for its quality of education, a motivated team and coach in Pat Tyson," Guermali said. "Along with fine campus dining at the COG, a nice basketball program does not hurt either."
On the track as a junior, Guermali had bests of 4:19.98 in the 1,600 meters (9th at state), 9:18.87 in the 3,200 meters (6th at State) and a personal best of 8:32.15 over 3,000 meters. For his efforts, he was named the All-Region Athlete of the Year by the Columbian Newspaper. He tabbed the Cross Country Athlete of the Year by the Columbian twice.
In the classroom, Germali has a 3.65 grade point average. The son of Adam and Juliet Guermali, has an older brother, Said, that runs cross country and track at the University of Portland.
"I really like this kid from Southwest Washington," Tyson said. "Yacine is not only a terrific runner, but he will evolve into an Academic All-American. He has bigtime goals! We've never had the state's best cross country runner come to Gonzaga. I know he turned down some nice offers to run for the Zags. So, this is an exciting young man that I know will greatly help us chase excellence in the West Coast Conference, NCAA West Regional, and NCAA Nationals. I'm so proud of his decision to run for us in Spokane."
Notes from Yacine: I came into high school with a mile personal best of 5:59. When I took up running full time in my freshman year, my high school goals were to break five in the mile and beat my brother, Said Guermali, who was two grades ahead of me. I went on to accomplish both (beat him once!) with a couple other awesome races along the way. My favorite sport is by far is the game of basketball and I enjoy long walks on the beach.
Phoenix, Ariz. | Brophy Prep High School
Mason makes the trek north from Brophy Prep in Phoenix, Ariz. He was the first of this year's signing class to make a verbal commitment to run for the Zags. After placing third at the Arizona Div. I state championships his junior season, he crossed the line in second his senior year.
In track, Mason won the Div. I state 3,200-meter title as a junior. He placed third in the 1,600 meters at last year's state championships, but currently is the state's leader in the event. His personal record times include; 4:17.5 in the 1,600 meters, 9:12.9 in the 3,200 meters and 15:26 in the 5,000 meters.
"When I was looking for schools I asked for advice from my siblings based on their college experience and what they would recommend," Mason said. "My brother had me make a list based on characteristics of colleges and I ranked those characteristics based on their importance to me. After deciding that I wanted a smaller school with a team culture that was close together and worked hard, Gonzaga seemed to fit. After my visit and spending time with guys on the team, I could easily see myself spending my college years at Gonzaga and loving it. With that picture, I was ready to make my decision."
An exceptional all-around athlete, Mason has been a 10-time varsity letter winner at Brophy Prep in cross country, track and soccer. He boasts a 3.975 GPA. His brother, Alex, ran collegiately for Georgetown and graduated in 2009. As a freshman, he went to the Junior World Championships in the steeplechase in Beijing and continued on to be a 4:04 miler and 8:56 steeplechaser.
"What I like about Luke Mason is his passion for life," Tyson said. "He has totally bought into being the best student athlete he can be! I love his enthusiasm for running! He is extremely knowledgeable and told me he wants to help Gonzaga be a team that is on the top of the podium at the conference championships and NCAA's. He will flourish in Spokane."
Notes from Luke: I started running freshman year, following in the footsteps of my two brothers. Junior year I had to decide whether I would continue to play soccer, which I had been doing since I was five. Ultimately, I chose running and placed third in XC and the 1600, and I won the 3200. I finished junior year running the steeple at NBN. Senior year I placed second in XC and haven't run state track.
Edmonds, Wash. | Edmonds-Woodway High School
McCloughan is living out a dream to run for Gonzaga. The senior at Edmonds-Woodway High School has always wanted to run for the Zags. He ran a 9:38.57 in the 3,200 meters and placed 10th at last year's state championships. He has a 9:31.48 personal record in the 3,200 meters and a 4:25.29 PR in the 1,600 meters.
In cross country, McCloughan placed 20th at the state championships this past fall, after coming in third at the district championships. He ran a personal record of 16:03.5 over the 5,000-meter course at the Nike Twilight Cross Country Invitational on Oct. 1.
"I chose Gonzaga because of its strong academic reputation and their cross-country coach, Pat Tyson," McCloughan said. "After taking a visit there this past February, I knew that it was the right fit for me - the campus, team, and atmosphere felt like home."
In the classroom, McCloughan has been a member of National Honor Society since 2015, and is a Full-IB Diploma Candidate. He has a 3.71 GPA.
"On his official visit, you could read the motivation and deep desire to be a part of this program and how far he can go as a Div. 1 runner," Tyson said. "Add to the fact, Sam loves the excellent academic environment at GU. I have no doubts that Sam will be a very good Div. 1 distance runner. It will take a little time to evolve, but we have time. He has the talent, the desire and the attitude that fits in the chemistry of the Gonzaga distance running culture! I'm so pumped to work with this young man!"
Notes from Sam: I have been running since seventh grade, but have only taken it seriously since 10th grade! Soccer was my main sport growing up, and my favorite sport until my Sophomore year of High School. Last spring, I placed 10th at the 3A State Track Meet in the 3200m, and I placed 20th at the XC 3A meet this year. I am a lifeguard over the summer at the local pool and have a twin sister who is going to swim at UPS next year!
Mukilteo, Wash. | Kamiak High School
Cullen McEachern has enjoyed a standout career at Kamiak High School. He has competed in four Washington AAAA state championships in cross country. He placed 12th as a junior and cracked the top-10 as senior, finishing ninth in 2016. With the exception of the state championships, McEachern placed in the top-five of the rest of races this past fall. He came in second with a personal record time of 15:38.1 at the 5,000-meter Nike Twilight Cross Country Invitational on Oct. 1.
McEachern has range on the track, running four distances (400, 800, 1600, 3200 meters) in each of his four years of high school running. He has a 4:21.87 1,600-meter PR, and a 9:27.15 3,200-meter PR. He has been the captain of the track and cross country teams at KHS the past two seasons.
"I chose Gonzaga for its fantastic academic and athletic setting," McEachern said. "I feel confident that I will thrive under Coach Tyson. Overall, campus felt like home."
McEachern would like to be an Environmental science major. He has a 3.4 GPA.
"Cullen has a tremendous upside," Tyson said. "Besides being an excellent scholar, Cullen is highly motivated to help Gonzaga continue its aim at being a high-end competitive cross country and track & field team. The cool thing is that he will be coming in as a 'raw talent'! Cullen is highly motivated and will thrive in our distance running culture at Gonzaga. He is a great addition to our program!"
Notes from Cullen: I can do handstands. A career goal of mine is I'd like to help protect and preserve the environment we live in, and to promote and teach about the natural world that all humans should strive to preserve.
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