Photo by: Kyle Terada
Zag Men Slated Fourth in WCC Preseason Poll
8/22/2018 1:09:00 PM | Cross Country
Gonzaga opens the season on Aug. 31
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga men's Cross Country team was picked fourth in the 2018 West Coast Conference Preseason Poll, the league office released Wednesday.
The Zags have placed fourth at the last two West Coast Conference Championships. GU has placed in the top four in each of the last six seasons. Eight Bulldogs that ran in last year's conference championships return this season.
West Coast Conference coaches have selected last year's NCAA Mountain Regional runner-up and NCAA Nationals third-place finisher BYU to take home its fourth consecutive WCC crown and sixth in seven years.
The Cougars, who breezed through last year's WCC Championship with the 11th perfect score in conference championship history, collected 63 total votes and seven first place votes after reaching the NCAA Nationals podium last year for their fifth top-10 finish since 2011.
Portland picked up the remaining two first place tallies to come in second with 58 votes. The Pilots captured last year's NCAA West Regional in Sacramento before turning in a runner-up finish at NCAA Nationals, just their second NCAA podium appearance in program history. San Francisco, who earned 47 points for third, edged out fourth-place Gonzaga, who snared 46. Santa Clara earned 34 votes to round out the top five.
Loyola Marymount grabbed sixth place with 29 votes, inching ahead of seventh-place Saint Mary's (24). Pepperdine and San Diego finished off the poll with 15 and eight points, respectively.
The 2018 WCC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will take place Oct. 27, at East Bay Golf Course in Provo, Utah.
Gonzaga opens its season at the Clash of the Inland Northwest, hosted by the University of Idaho, in Moscow, Idaho, on Aug. 31. The women's 4K race begins at 6 p.m., followed by the men's 6K race at 6:30 p.m.
2018 WCC Men's Cross Country Poll
2018 All-WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Team
The Zags have placed fourth at the last two West Coast Conference Championships. GU has placed in the top four in each of the last six seasons. Eight Bulldogs that ran in last year's conference championships return this season.
West Coast Conference coaches have selected last year's NCAA Mountain Regional runner-up and NCAA Nationals third-place finisher BYU to take home its fourth consecutive WCC crown and sixth in seven years.
The Cougars, who breezed through last year's WCC Championship with the 11th perfect score in conference championship history, collected 63 total votes and seven first place votes after reaching the NCAA Nationals podium last year for their fifth top-10 finish since 2011.
Portland picked up the remaining two first place tallies to come in second with 58 votes. The Pilots captured last year's NCAA West Regional in Sacramento before turning in a runner-up finish at NCAA Nationals, just their second NCAA podium appearance in program history. San Francisco, who earned 47 points for third, edged out fourth-place Gonzaga, who snared 46. Santa Clara earned 34 votes to round out the top five.
Loyola Marymount grabbed sixth place with 29 votes, inching ahead of seventh-place Saint Mary's (24). Pepperdine and San Diego finished off the poll with 15 and eight points, respectively.
The 2018 WCC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will take place Oct. 27, at East Bay Golf Course in Provo, Utah.
Gonzaga opens its season at the Clash of the Inland Northwest, hosted by the University of Idaho, in Moscow, Idaho, on Aug. 31. The women's 4K race begins at 6 p.m., followed by the men's 6K race at 6:30 p.m.
2018 WCC Men's Cross Country Poll
| No. | Team | Votes (First Place) |
| 1. | BYU | 63 (7) |
| 2. | Portland | 58 (2) |
| 3. | San Francisco | 47 |
| 4. | Gonzaga | 46 |
| 5. | Santa Clara | 34 |
| 6. | Loyola Marymount | 29 |
| 7. | Saint Mary's | 24 |
| 8. | Pepperdine | 15 |
| 9. | San Diego | 8 |
2018 All-WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Team
| Name | School | Year |
| Daniel Carney | BYU | Sr. |
| Nick Hauger | Portland | Sr. |
| Nick Heath | Pepperdine | Sr. |
| Reuben Kiprono | Portland | So. |
| Rory Linkletter | BYU | Sr. |
| Connor McMillan | BYU | Sr. |
| Kramer Morton | BYU | So. |
| Jack Rowe | San Francisco | Sr. |
| Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse | Portland | Jr. |
| Clayton Young | BYU | Sr. |
Tuesday, June 30
Monday, June 29
Monday, June 29
Friday, June 26
