CHENEY, WA.- Gonzaga Cross Country kicked off the season in ideal fashion on Friday morning, as both teams swept the top five spots in both races at the Clash of Inland Northwest.
Both teams put together the best score possible, with all ten of the tops spots being claimed by a member of Zag Running. The result was clear from the start of both races, when the Zags took a commanding lead at the front of the peloton with their top runner before the 2k mark in both races. This is the third straight year that the Zags have won both races. Men's cross country has won the Clash nine years in a row, and women's cross country have now won five of the last six years of the meet.
Willow Collins cruised to a first place individual finish in the women's race, finishing the 4k race in 13:48. She was joined in the top three by Charlotte Dillon and Jade Rypkema, all of whom were running together at the halfway point of the race, clocking a lead of nearly 15 seconds ahead of the closest non-Zag runner after only 2000 meters. Dillon, a Freshman out of England, impressed in her first collegiate race and has shown that she can be a key part of the team going forward. The top 5 was rounded out by Clare Mullin, also making her collegiate running debut, and Camille Broadbent.
"This race is always a rust buster for the team coming back from the summer, so getting everyone to come together to race and get the team win is special. We're super excited for a huge fall." Collins said after her win. Women's Cross Country is currently ranked 22nd overall in the USTFCCCA national polls.
Men's cross country had all five scoring runners finish within a half second of each other, with Mason Kissell technically winning out of a pack that finished within a stride of each other. The top five, made up of Logan Law, Ryan Mitchell, and team captains Bryce Cerkowniak and Paul Talens, all finished with a time just under 18:45 for 6k. "We all worked as one and then finished as one, so great start to the season for us" Talens remarked while explaining the gameplan to deliberately run as a team while securing the win with ease this morning.
"They've been working really hard since they arrived on campus, I'm looking forward to the jump to 8k at the Cougar Classic in two weeks. Really proud of this bunch and it's still only August" said Coach Pat Tyson, teeing us up to look ahead to the next race.
Men's cross country will run in Colfax, Washington on September 12th. The meet will be run on Colfax Golf Course, the site for last year's NCAA West regional Cross Country Championship. The #22 women's cross country team will have a month off before they return to action at the Lakefront Invitational in Chicago on October 3rd.
