Harriers Ready to Host WCC Championships
10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 28, 2015
GONZAGA BULLDOGS at WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEET 6 | OCT. 31 | PLANTES FERRY PARK | SPOKANE
TIMES: Women- 10 a.m., Men- 11 a.m.,
DISTANCES: Women- 6,000 meters, Men- 10,000 meters
LIVE VIDEO: Youtube.com/watch?v=zH1OIIHkz5g
LIVE RESULTS: http://www.rtspt.com/events/wcc/xc2015/
LAST TIME AT MEET: Nov. 1, 2014: Men- Third (109 points), Women- Fifth (114 points)
TOP INDIVIDUALS THEN: Men- Nick Roche (15th, 23:52), Women- Shelby Mills (7th, 20:07)
ABOUT THE MEET:
- The annual championships rotate between the schools in the West Coast Conference, and Gonzaga gets its first chance to host the event Saturday.
- This is only the second time in the history of the event that the championships will be held outside of California. The 2012 event was held in Portland.
- This is the first time Gonzaga has hosted a conference championship since the basketball tournaments in 2006.
- The BYU women and men were picked as the conference preseason favorites, followed by Portland on both sides. The Gonzaga men were picked third, while the women were fourth.
- BYU enters the races with the highest regional rankings, but GU is close behind on the women's side. The San Francisco women and men have also been a surprise this season.
COURSE INFORMATION:
- The races will be held at Plantes Ferry Park in Spokane Valley.
- The course has previously served as the site for national races including the 2011 & 2013 NCAA DII Cross Country West Regionals and National Championships.
- The course is about 90 percent grass (short) with some dirt trail, which allows for several vantage points for spectators during the race.
- Course maps can be found on pages six and seven.
WCC PREVIEW RECAP:
- The races were also run at Plantes Ferry Park on Sept. 19.
- The Zags finished second in the women's and men's team results. The teams combined for five top-10 finishes.
- The GU women placed a trio of runners in the top 10. Maggie Jones led a pack of Bulldogs with a second place finish at 21:25.9. Jordan Thurston finished third at 21:26.1. Jessica Mildes placed eighth at 21:40.0.
- Troy Fraley came in third with a time of 24:24.2. Matthew Crichlow finished eighth at 24:37.0.
- The BYU women and men swept the titles, led by Alice Jensen (21:18.09) and Dallin Farnsworth (24:19.04).
BRING OUT THE BROOMS:
- The Gonzaga women's and men's cross country programs both placed first among NCAA Division I teams at the Inland Empire Challenge.
- The Bulldog men cruised to the team win with only 17 points, well ahead of second place Eastern Washington's 59. The Gonzaga women had 21 points and Montana came in second with 34 points.
- In the overall races, Shelby Mills placed third in the women's field, while Troy Fraley came in fourth in the men's race.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS:
- The Gonzaga women received its highest regional ranking ever when it was positioned seventh in the USTFCCCA West ranking.
- The Zag men are 12th in the latest poll.
- After stellar performances against elite competition at the UW Invitational, both Bulldog programs moved up two spots in their rankings.
SEATTLE'S BEST:
- The Gonzaga men had eight new entries into their program's all-time 8,000-meter top-20 list after the Washington Invitational.
- Troy Fraley was seven seconds off of the school record with a time of 23:39. Kyle Branch and Matthew Crichlow also ran top-five times.
- Overall, the GU men had 11 new 8K PR's at the UW Invitational.
- On the women's side, Jessica Mildes and Jordan Thurston ran the second and fourth fastest 6,000-meter times in program history.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ 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
