Friday, September 13
Colfax, Wash.
5:00 p.m. (W) / 5:45 p.m. (M)
Gonzaga University
at
Cougar Classic
No. 25/30 Cross Country Travels to Colfax for Cougar Classic Friday
9/11/2024 10:19:00 AM | Cross Country
The Colfax Golf Course will play host to the NCAA West Regional later this season
#25/30 Gonzaga at Cougar Classic
FRIDAY, SEPT. 13 | COLFAX GOLF COURSE
5:00 PM PT (W) / 5:45 PM PT (M)
ABOUT THE MEET
FRIDAY, SEPT. 13 | COLFAX GOLF COURSE
5:00 PM PT (W) / 5:45 PM PT (M)
ABOUT THE MEET
- Men's and women's cross country returns to the Cougar Classic for the second straight season.
- Last year, the GU women placed second and the men placed placed third at this same meet.
- Since 2018, the Zag men have won three Cougar Classic team titles with three individual titles.
- James Mwaura won back-to-back individual titles in 2018 and 2019 to lead two team wins.
- Kyle Radosevich earned the individual win in 2021 to complete the program sweep of the meet.
- The women's lone Cougar Classic team title came in 2021 behind Kristen Garcia's first-place.
- Claire Manley won the individual title at this meet in 2019, while the team placed second.
COURSE INFORMATION
COURSE INFORMATION
- The course circles the nine-hole Colfax Golf Club grounds along the Palouse River near McDonald Park just outside of downtown Colfax. The initial 2K loop takes racers down near the river and back to Cedar Street, extending further west for the remaining loops in both the 6K and 8K races before meeting back up with the original loop and finishing along Cedar.
PRESEASON HONORS AND RANKINGS
PRESEASON HONORS AND RANKINGS
- Bryce Cerkowniak, Willow Collins, Jessica Frydenlund, Drew Kolodge, Logan Law, Rosina Machu, Wil Smith, and Sadie Tuckwood were eached picked to the WCC preseason team.
- The Gonzaga men and women were picked as favorites to win the West Coast Conference on Aug. 23. In addition, eight combined athletes were selected to the preseason team.
- The Zag women received seven first-place votes and 76 points to top the women's WCC preseason poll. The men tied with Portland at 46 points and five first-place votes.
- In the USTFCCCA West Region preseason coaches' poll released on Monday, the Gonzaga women came in at No. 4 while the men came in at No. 6.
- For the sixth straight season, the Gonzaga men appeared in the first USTFCCCA National Coaches' poll of the season. This year, they will open the season ranked No. 30.
- The Gonzaga women appeared in the preseason USTFCCCA National Coaches' poll for the second time in the last three seasons, coming in at No. 25 to open their 2024 campaign.
ANOTHER CLASH SWEEP
ANOTHER CLASH SWEEP
- Gonzaga opened their season on Aug. 30 at the Clash of the Inland Northwest on Eastern Washington's campus.
- For the second straight season, the program swept both individual and team titles in commanding fashion.
- Jade Rypkema led the Zag women to a perfect score of 15 with her first collegiate individual win.
- Ryan Mitchell and Jerry Mackie earned the best times on the men's side, leading eight Zags in the top ten.
- The women have now won four team titles in five years, while the men have secured eight straight team titles.
2023 SEASON RECAP
2023 SEASON RECAP
- The men won six team titles throughout the 2023 season, including their first ever West Coast Conference title.
- Wil Smith and Drew Kolodge earned All-WCC First Team while four others earned Second Team honors.
- Smith, Kolodge, and Bryce Cerkowniak earned USTFCCCA All-West Region honors at the NCAA West Regionals.
- After securing the WCC title, the men placed second at the NCAA West Regional, knocking off three ranked teams.
- After earning their second-straight automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, the men placed 28th at nationals.
- The women won four team titles and collected five individual titles throughout the season.
- Rosina Machu won individual titles at the Lakefront Invitational, Bronco Invitational, and WCC Championships.
- Machu, Sadie Tuckwood, and Jessica Frydenlund all earned All-WCC First Team at the WCC Championships.
- Machu and Tuckwood earned USTFCCCA All-West Region honors at the NCAA West Regionals.
- Machu became just the second female USTFCCCA All-American in program history, placing 16th at nationals.
HISTORY IN THE POLLS
HISTORY IN THE POLLS
- In 2018, the Zag men earned their first-ever national ranking at No. 26 in the USTFCCCA national coaches' poll.
- Since then, GU has appeared as high as No. 12 in the national rankings, reaching that mark in 2022.
- Last season, the Zag men entered nationals at a season-high No. 20 after an impressive outing at the NCAA West Regionals.
- In the USTFCCCA West Region rankings, the GU men have been ranked in the top ten in each poll since the beginning of 2018.
- During that stretch of 39 straight top ten appearances, Gonzaga has ranked as high as No. 2 in the West Region (Wk 3-4, 2022).
- In 2021, the Zag women entered the USTFCCCA national coaches' poll for the first time since 2015 at No. 29.
- The following season, they reached their highest-ever ranking at No. 21 after opening the 2022 season ranked 23rd nationally.
- In total, the Zags have spent 12 weeks in the coaches' poll either ranked or having received votes.
- The women have gone on to beat seven USTFCCCA ranked teams in the top 30 since 2021.
- GU's women's program has been ranked among the Top Five in the West Region by the USTFCCCA each of the last two seasons.
- GU spent 23 weeks ranked inside the top 10 of the West Region and an additional 18 weeks between the rankings of 11-15.
NEXT UP
NEXT UP
- Gonzaga will send their top harriers to the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 27. GU will hope to return to Madison for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23.
Players Mentioned
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Tuesday, June 30
Monday, June 29
Monday, June 29
Friday, June 26
