Manley and Mwaura Run to Top-10 Finishes

Friday, November 1

Los Angeles, CA

10 a.m.

Gonzaga University

West Coast Conference Championships

Results Photo Gallery

11/1/2019 1:30:00 PM | Cross Country

Results Photo Gallery

Zag men place third and GU women were fourth

VAN NUYS, Calif. – Claire Manley and James Mwaura ran to Top-10 finishes at the 2019 West Coast Conference Cross Country Championships at the Woodley Lakes Golf Course Friday.

Mwaura had the best finish as a Zag in the men's 8K race since 2010. The sophomore crossed the line at 23:40.17. Chris Boyle was the last GU runner to place in the top-five, finishing fourth in 2010. It's Mwaura's second straight All-WCC finish, after placing ninth last year.

Manley ran the fifth-fastest 6K time in program history at 20:33.22. She crossed the line in sixth-place. The redshirt junior is the first Zag in three years to finish in the Top-10 at the WCC Championships. Jordan Thurston was the last in 2016, when she placed fourth.

The Zags also had their best team finish in three years, placing fourth. The GU women totaled 123 points. The Bulldogs were picked sixth in the conference's preseason poll.

Alicia Anderson (21:45.52) and Ally Legard (21:46.03) were 27^th and 28^th. Brittney Hansen finished with a time of 21:59.18 in 35^th place, while Makenna Edwards rounded out the team scoring in 39^th at 22:05.24. Natasha Bernal (22:10.97) and Emily Phelps (22:14.43) placed 43^rd and 44^th.

The No. 4 BYU women had a near perfect finish and defended their title. The Cougars' 18 points were the lowest championship score as a WCC member. All seven of BYU's runners placed in the Top-10, including a top-three sweep led by Whittni Orton's 19:49.27 finish. She beat out teammate, and defending individual champion, Erica Birk-Jarvis (19:49.33) at the line. Portland placed second as a team with 84 points and San Francisco was third with 90 points.

The No. 29 Bulldog men were third as a team for the second straight season. Gonzaga finished with its lowest team point total since 2004, with 63 points. It's the eighth straight season GU has placed in the top-four.

The Zags' Peter Hogan placed 11^th with a time of 24:07.43. Cullen McEachern was close behind in 15^th at 24:20.85. Jake Perrin (24:35.27), Phillip Fishburn (24:35.46) and Luke Mason (24:36.88) were 18^th, 19^th and 20^th. Riley Moore finished in 22^nd, crossing the line at 24:41.79.

The No. 2 BYU men won their fifth consecutive West Coast Conference Championship. The Cougars posted a score of 26 points with five runners in the top-10. BYU's Conner Mantz (23:33.75) outraced teammate Jacob Heslington (23:35.23) for the individual title. No. 12 Portland was second with 51 points.

The GU women and men have a week off before the NCAA West Regionals in Colfax, Wash. The races will be run at the Colfax Golf Club, beginning with the women's 6K at 11:30 a.m., and the men's 10K at 12:30 p.m. Live results will be available on GoZags.com.