Photo by: Nick Tomoyasu
GU Cross Country Opens Schedule Saturday
8/29/2019 4:58:00 PM | Cross Country
Zags start season in Cheney at Clash of the Inland Northwest
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga women's and men's cross country programs start the 2019 season at the Clash of the Inland Northwest Saturday in Cheney, Wash.
The annual meet has been a season-opener for the Zags, Washington State, Idaho and Eastern Washington. Other teams that will be racing include Lewis-Clark State, Whitman, Montana, and Whitworth. The meet rotates a host site each year around the Inland Northwest.
The Bulldogs have appeared in the Clash of the Inland Northwest in each of the last nine seasons. In his collegiate debut last season, James Mwaura cruised to the win in Moscow, Idaho, with a time of 17:04.8. He led the GU men to a dominating first place finish. Seven Zags placed in the top-eight. Sammy Truax came in second place at 17:15.1, while Andrew Clusserath (17:19.9) was fourth. Yacine Guermali (17:23.2, seventh) and Stefan Bradley (17:25.6, eighth) also had top-10 finishes.
The Gonzaga women made their debut under head coach Jake Stewart. The Zags placed third as a team, led by Aimee Piercy's sixth-place finish on the 4K course. GU's Caroline McCarthy crossed the line with a time of 14:47.6 in 11th place.
Stewart welcomes back plenty of talent in his second year at the helm. The top five GU finishers from the 2018 NCAA West Regionals return this season. Piercy is back for her senior season, after being the top Zag finisher in five races last year. Piercy is one of 14 upperclassmen on a roster that includes five seniors.
Pat Tyson is back for his 12th season as the leader of the GU men. He brings back an experienced group that received the program's best-ever regional ranking in the USTFCCCA preseason poll. The Bulldogs open the year ranked seventh in the region, after placing ninth at regionals in 2018. Four of Gonzaga's top five finishers at the 2018 NCAA West Regionals return this year, including Mwaura, who was named All-Region last season.
Saturday's 4,000-meter women's race begins at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 6K race at 10:30 a.m. The event takes place on the practice fields to the West of the Eastern Washington University Sports and Recreation Center. Results will be available on GoZags.com after the event.
The annual meet has been a season-opener for the Zags, Washington State, Idaho and Eastern Washington. Other teams that will be racing include Lewis-Clark State, Whitman, Montana, and Whitworth. The meet rotates a host site each year around the Inland Northwest.
The Bulldogs have appeared in the Clash of the Inland Northwest in each of the last nine seasons. In his collegiate debut last season, James Mwaura cruised to the win in Moscow, Idaho, with a time of 17:04.8. He led the GU men to a dominating first place finish. Seven Zags placed in the top-eight. Sammy Truax came in second place at 17:15.1, while Andrew Clusserath (17:19.9) was fourth. Yacine Guermali (17:23.2, seventh) and Stefan Bradley (17:25.6, eighth) also had top-10 finishes.
The Gonzaga women made their debut under head coach Jake Stewart. The Zags placed third as a team, led by Aimee Piercy's sixth-place finish on the 4K course. GU's Caroline McCarthy crossed the line with a time of 14:47.6 in 11th place.
Stewart welcomes back plenty of talent in his second year at the helm. The top five GU finishers from the 2018 NCAA West Regionals return this season. Piercy is back for her senior season, after being the top Zag finisher in five races last year. Piercy is one of 14 upperclassmen on a roster that includes five seniors.
Pat Tyson is back for his 12th season as the leader of the GU men. He brings back an experienced group that received the program's best-ever regional ranking in the USTFCCCA preseason poll. The Bulldogs open the year ranked seventh in the region, after placing ninth at regionals in 2018. Four of Gonzaga's top five finishers at the 2018 NCAA West Regionals return this year, including Mwaura, who was named All-Region last season.
Saturday's 4,000-meter women's race begins at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 6K race at 10:30 a.m. The event takes place on the practice fields to the West of the Eastern Washington University Sports and Recreation Center. Results will be available on GoZags.com after the event.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Tuesday, June 30
Monday, June 29
Monday, June 29
Friday, June 26
