NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nevada – The Gonzaga men's cross country team placed second at the 2021 West Coast Conference Championships Wednesday. The Zags' James Mwaura finished second as an individual in an 8K program-record finish of 23:02.9.
 
The Bulldogs' Yacine Guermali ran the second-fastest time in school history at 23:07.5, placing fourth. Freshman Wil Smith was 11^th at 23:46.7, which ranks fifth on the GU all-time list. On the women's side, Kristen Garcia led Gonzaga to a fourth-place team finish. She crossed the line in 12^th, with a time of 20:50.2 is the 8th-fastest 6K finish in program history.
 
"It's such a good feeling," Mwaura said. "Our goal was to finish in the top-two, with the idea of getting into nationals. We executed our plan well and achieved our goal. Honestly, I wanted to win, but for my first race in 465 days, I am happy and proud of how I ran."
 
Gonzaga Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Pat Tyson was named the WCC Men's Coach of the Year following the race. Mwaura and Guermali earned All-Conference honors with their finishes, while Smith and Garcia were tabbed Second Team All-WCC.
 
"We've been frozen since November 2019," Tyson said. "It's been 15 months of the thrill of going to nationals in 2019 and just being left out, no track season in 2020, CoVID, smoky air season in Spokane, the isolation and having to train differently. People could have given up and quit, but our guys didn't. These guys are self-starters, and it makes a coach proud.
 
"This was our first meet of the season! All 10 of our guys performed well. The quality of the West Coast Conference is so phenomenal. We have nothing but respect for BYU, and we never underestimate the talent Portland has. I'm so happy for our guys."
 
The second-place team finish matches the best finish in program history. It's the first time GU has placed in the top two since 2004.
 
"I definitely surprised myself," freshman Wil Smith said of his first collegiate race. "I went out and took a lot of risks. I was a little nervous being my first race, but I was confident going in. I know we've had guys working for this moment for a long time. I'm grateful for the guys that came before me and helped build the program. I'm excited to represent Gonzaga."
 
Peter Hogan finished just outside of All-WCC Second Team honors, placing 16^th at 23:54.3. It was a personal record for him, and another Top-10 program best time. Evan Bates rounded out the GU scoring in 19^th place with a time of 24:14.3. Cullen McEachern (24:23.4) and Dominic Arce (24:31.3) were 22^nd and 25^th.
 
The BYU men took the team title, placing six runners in the Top-10. The Cougars' Conner Mantz took the individual title with a time of 22:54.4. BYU finished with 25 points, Gonzaga had 51, and Portland totaled 62.
 
Entering Wednesday's race, BYU topped the national poll, while Portland was eighth nationally and second in the West Region. Gonzaga was one spot out of the Top-30 national poll, as the top team in the receiving votes category. The Zags were fifth in the region.
 
In the women's race, Lauren Haas placed 18^th for Gonzaga. She crossed the line at 21:27.2. Ally Legard was 22^nd with a time of 21:43.8. Liz Hogan (22:08.3), Claire Manley (22:13.6) and Claire Gillett (22:19.4) were 28^th, 29^th and 30^th.
 
The BYU women won the team title for the third straight season. Four Cougars placed inside the Top-10. Portland was second, led by Anna Pataki's first-place individual finish. She took the title with a time of 19:56.0. San Francisco was third.
 
Gonzaga finished with 98 points in the team standings, the first time the Bulldogs have totaled under 100 since GU won the conference crown in 2015. It's only the third time since 2000 that the Zags had a total under 100.
 
The NCAA Championship field will be unveiled on March 7 at 10 a.m. on NCAA.com. Oklahoma State hosts this season's NCAA Championship in Stillwater, Okla., on March 15.