Men's XC Wins Seventh-Straight Clash of the Inland Northwest Title
9/1/2022 12:18:00 PM | Cross Country
Seven GU runners finish in event's Top 10
CHENEY, Wash. — Led by a wire-to-wire individual win from Bryce Cerkowniak, Gonzaga men's cross country placed seven runners in the Top 10 at the Clash of the Inland Northwest en route to their seventh-straight team win Thursday morning at Eastern Washington University.
The Zags' 20-point outing secured them first in the team category ahead of Eastern Washington (56 points), Lewis-Clark State (65), Whitman (116) and Whitworth (143).
"It's only September 1st, but what a day for our young team over at EWU this morning," said GU Men's Head Coach Pat Tyson. "Bryce ran away with the individual title and we had a strong supporting cast following the redshirt freshman!"
Cerkowniak's 18:14.8 finish in the 6K race was nearly ahead of second-place finisher and fellow Bulldog Nick DiMartino (18:42.7). Jackson Lyne (fourth, 18:45.0), Jeremiah Mackie (sixth, 18:58.8), Ansel Tucker (eighth, 19:08.2), Aidan Baughan (10th, 19:13.2), Carpenter Mukai (12th, 19:15.9), Ben Brown (17th, 19:30.5), Sam Geiger (20th, 19:44.0), Will Thorsett (22nd, 19:45.5), James Powers (33rd, 20:15.4), and Quentin Rickey (38th, 20:32.0) rounded out the rest of the Zags' attached runners.
"We are tired from preseason camp but came out and endured and won the team battle. Shows we have very good depth," Tyson said. "Love this team!"
The Zags' men's and women's squads return to action next Friday at the Wandermere Golf Course, where they'll host Idaho and Eastern in dual meet action. Follow along with live results on GoZags.com and follow @ZagRunning on IG and Twitter for updates.
