Gonzaga University
Oregon Relays (Men Only)
Zags Men's Track Laces Up for Oregon Relays
4/21/2022 12:35:00 PM | Track and Field
After a big weekend in California at the Bryan Clay Invite and Mt. Sac Relays, Gonzaga men's track is returning to the iconic Hayward Field for the Oregon Relays — and a chance for more victory laps.
The Zags' last trip to Eugene was a resounding success, with James Mwaura breaking the program 10K record while leading a 1-2-3 GU finish ahead of Kyle Radosevich and Riley Moore while Cooper Laird took home an event win in the 3000m Steeplechase. Radosevich's 29:27.06 finish and Moore's 29:36.75 time ranked as the third- and fourth-fastest in program history — Moore PR'd by over a minute.
Head Coach Pat Tyson and the GU Men's distance crew are looking to replicate that success against a tougher field this go-round in the 5K and 3000m Steeplechase.
OREGON RELAYS | APRIL 22-23
LAST TIME OUT
Against deep heats in a pair of stacked competitions last weekend, the Bulldogs found plenty of success in a variety of distance races, notching 14 combined personal bests in the 1500 and 5K at Bryan Clay and three more in the distance hurdles at the Mt. Sac Relays.
At the Mt. Sac Relays, Ben Hogan led the Zags' 3000m distance hurdles group with a 8:55.31 time that netted him 14th place, ahead of a 12-second personal best from Laird in only the second distance hurdles race he's competed in (8:58.07) and another solid PR from Cullen McEachern in his season debut (8:59.4).
Wil Smith won his heat and placed fourth in the 5K Invitational at the Bryan Clay Invite at Azusa Pacific with a personal best of 13:53.19, surging late to overtake the field by several seconds in his heat. Dominic Arce (14:00.16) also came through with a personal best for third place in his section, ahead of Evan Bates (10th, 14:09.13) and Riley Moore (14:13.27). In total, five different Zag runners notched PR's in the race.
"Best overall 5K team depth day in Gonzaga history," Tyson said. "Our guys ran in heats that were not rabbited so they were raw pure races … Like the distance hurdlers, they're not satisfied and looking forward to chasing marks that lead to NCAA qualifiers. It's still early!"
Hogan led the way again in the 1500m at Azusa Pacific, putting down a 3:48.49 time in the invitational race, just ahead of another personal-best performance from McEachern (3:49.88). Smith took home an event win in the open field with a 3:50.89 time, with Bates following with a PR of his own (3:51.17) to win his heat.
EVENT SQUADS RANKED
The Zags currently tout four event crews ranked amongst the top 75 in the nation, per USTFCCCA rankings:
-No. 5 in Steeplechase
-No. 21 in 5000m
-No.15 in 10,000m
-No. 72 in 1500m
With reigning 2021 All-American James Mwaura set to make his 5K season debut at Hayward tomorrow, the Zags will likely see a boost in their 5K ranking.
RUNNERS ON DECK
Men's 5000m Invite
Men's 3000m Steeplechase
