SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga women's cross country head coach Jake Stewart announced the signing of Portland-area prospect Kendall York to a National Letter of Intent Wednesday.

Kendall York | Portland, Ore. | Lincoln High School 

Less than a week after finishing seventh as an individual at the OSAA 6A State Championships for Lincoln to fuel a third-place overall finish for the Cardinals, York's signing gives GU one of Oregon's top high school runners on campus in the Fall of 2022.

"Visiting the campus and meeting the team I felt like I was at another home and I knew it was the right place for me," York said of why she chose GU.

York's senior year was one for the books — her 16:54.9 three-mile time was the fastest for a high school runner in Oregon this fall, and her 17:00.3 5K cross country time was the fourth-fastest in the state. After finishing in the top two of four different races in 2020, she did the same in six different races this fall, taking home individual wins at the Champoeg Invitational and MHC/PIL Crossover Meet in the process.

Coach Stewart on York: "Kendall represents a lot of what we want our program to be about. First and foremost, she's a great person, kind and thoughtful. She has a big-time work ethic, comes from a high school program at Lincoln that does a great job developing their athletes' well-roundedness, and that's where we want to start. 

"Kendall will come into the program and help us in every way. She comes from a Gonzaga family, wants to be here and is excited to help us take the next step in our program's goals."