Spokane, WA.- Zag Running will start the season with national attention, as USTFCCCA recognized both men's and women's cross country teams in preseason polls.
The women's cross country team is ranked 22nd nationally to start the season. This is the highest preseason ranking for the team in program history.
The Zags were picked as the 4th overall team in the West region in the USTFCCCA regional poll. They will look to repeat as WCC champions, having been picked as the preseason favorites after securing the title last year. The team is expected to build on a tremendous pervious year in which they placed in the top 25 in the NCAA Cross Country championship.
Additionally, FloTrack picked Gonzaga women's running as the 14th overall national team in their national preseason poll. This is the first ever preseason top 15 national poll pick for the women's cross country team.
The men's cross country team also received votes in the national poll. This is the sixth straight yearly preseason poll in which they received national votes. They were picked as the 8th overall team in the West regional poll. The team will look to again perform above media expectations, building on the previous season's sixth place finish in the NCAA West regional championship.
Both Zag Cross Country teams will start the season on Friday morning, when they run at the Clash of the Inland Northwest meet in Cheney, starting at 8:30 am. The women's team has won this meet four of the last five years, and the men's team is in the midst of a meet win streak of eight straight years.
