SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach Jake Stewart announced the signing of three incoming freshman to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. Spokane-native Logan Hofstee of East Valley High School, Portland-native Keira Saavedra, and Australia-native Molly Sewell will join the Zags for the 2024-25 season as the women look to add to their strong returning core of runners in pursuit of a national bid on the course and on the track.
 
Logan Hofstee | Spokane, Wash. | East Valley HS
Hofstee signs with Gonzaga less than a week after securing her second consecutive 2A State Individual Title at the WIAA State Cross Country Championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Saturday. Turning in a winning 5K time of 17:20.8, Hofstee dominated the state field with a 52-second win over the next individual. Her historic season has included a personal-best 17:03.5 at the 6th Annual Battle for the 509 at the Spokane Polo Grounds in Airway Heights, and wins at the Mountain West Classic in Missoula, Mont. and the Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational in Arlington, Wash. In the State Championship meet last fall, Hofstee earned the individual title, edging current Zag freshman Jessica Frydenlund.
 
"Call it love at first sight. I chose to be a Zag because of the emphasis on being team-oriented and the phenomenal team culture Stew (Coach Stewart) and the ladies have established. I want to contribute to the success of the program and build something special along with my teammates. At Gonzaga, I know I'll be surrounded by caring individuals and a team that shares kindred goals. I'm absolutely ecstatic to officially be joining the Zag family."
 
Stewart on Hofstee: "Logan's coming to Gonzaga as one of the best cross country athletes in the country in the Class of 2024. She's a Spokane kid, who chose to stay home, and really believes in the good we're doing. We're excited to get Logan on campus, she'll have an immediate impact on the program."
 
Keira Saavedra | Portland, Ore. | Lincoln HS
Saavedra joins Gonzaga after earning her third straight Top-20 finish at the OSAA 6A State Cross Country Championships for Lincoln High School. In her sophomore season, Saavedra finished 16th to help Lincoln to a third place team finish. In 2022, she was the top scorer for the Cardinals, placing fourth to lead a second place team finish. Later that season, Saavedra placed sixth at NXN to lead Forest Park XC in the Northwest Region. Saavedra's final Oregon prep race saw Lincoln fall just short behind Jesuit High School while she placed eleventh to aid the point-scoring for her team. Saavedra's personal best 5K came in the 2022 6A-1 PIL District Championships, winning the race with a time of 17:47.4.
 
"One reason I picked Gonzaga was because I felt like there was a strong connection between the coaches and athletes that created a really great feeling of community."
 
Stewart on Saavedra: "We feel really confident in Keira joining our program in every aspect. Individually, she's a Nike National Cross Country qualifier. As a part of the team, she comes to us from one of the best program's in the Northwest and understands what it takes to be great. Her personality fits Gonzaga, and we believe her best running is in front of her."
 
Molly Sewell | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
A Gold Coast native from Queensland, Sewell joins current Zag Olivia Hobbs as the most recent recruit from Australia, with Sewell set to join the team next fall. Maria Taggi (Spain) and Sewell will make up GU's international class on Stewart's squad in 2024-25. While Sewell has seen much success on the track, she will certainly contribute for the Zags in all three seasons when she arrives. During her competition in Queensland, Sewell has earned notable personal best times in the 1,500m (4:29.97) and 3,000m (9:45.26), notching both of those times with second place finishes at the Australian U17 Championships in Sydney in April of 2021.
 
"I chose Gonzaga for the school's athletic prestige and culture."

Stewart on Sewell: "Molly has a ton of versatility in both cross country and track. She's coming to us as one of the best young cross country runners in Australia, while showing great range from the 800 to the 3k on the track. Molly will transition smoothly to running cross country her in the States and will have the ability to be an NCAA Preliminary Round qualifier right away."