SPOKANE, Wash. — Nine Gonzaga student-athletes – five men and four women – will represent the Bulldogs at the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary Round in Sacramento, Calif., May 24-27. The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country Committee announced the West Region and East Region Preliminary Round participants Thursday morning. The total of nine qualifiers marks a new program-best.
For each individual event contested at each of the Preliminary Round sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition, with the top 12 in each advancing to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in Austin, Texas, June 7-10. University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., will host the East Preliminary and Sacramento State, in Sacramento, Calif., will host the West Preliminary.
The Bulldogs' envoy to Sacramento will include six repeat qualifiers, including Kristen Garcia in the 10K, Alicia Anderson in the 1500m, Cullen McEachern and Cooper Laird in the Steeplechase, and James Mwaura in the 10K and 5K, with Yacine Guermali making his third career regionals appearance but first in the 1500m.
First-time qualifiers include Rosina Machu, who ran the fastest 5K and 3K races in program history in her first year of outdoor track competition; Caramia Mestler, who qualified in the 10K last season at Oregon before joining the Zags this year as a grad transfer; and Wil Smith, who has put down the second-fastest 5K (13:40.40) and second-fastest 10K (28:24.03) in program history this spring.
This will be the third consecutive year at regionals for Mwaura – who qualified in the 10K and 5K in 2021 and 2022 and earned All-American honors both years – and Garcia – who qualified in the 10K last year and 5K in 2021. Both runners hold program records in their respective events, with Garcia shattering the 10K program record by more than 26 seconds at the Stanford Invitational earlier this spring (33:01.77) and Mwaura holding program-best times in the 5K (13:30.02) and 10K (27:50.44). Guermali, who improved his program record in the 1500m at this year's Payton Jordan Invitational (3:42.96), also advanced to Regionals for the third time in his career after qualifying in the 5K in 2019 and 2021.
Anderson ran the second-fastest 1500m in program history (4:18.53) with a huge PR at the 2022 West Regionals in Fayetteville, Ark., and currently holds the second-fastest 800M time (2:10.38) and fourth-fastest 5,000M time (16:15.23) in program history.
McEachern and Laird both qualified for the second year in a row after making their first NCAA postseason appearances last spring. Their personal bests sit at third (8:46.29) and fifth (8:50.88) on the event's all-time list, respectively.
THE ROAD TO NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Student-athletes with the top 12 times or marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West Preliminary Rounds sites will qualify for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 7-10 at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin, Texas. It will be the eighth time the outdoor championships have been held in Texas and the first time since 2019.
In the 5,000m race, the field of 48 is split into two heats of 24 runners each. The top five from each will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as well as the top two times from those not within a top five within a heat. In the 10,000m, all runners compete at once with the top 12 finishers moving on.
In the 3,000m Steeplechase, the competition is split into three heats of 16 runners, with the top three from each heat and the top three times from those not within a top three within a heat advancing to the NCAA Championships.
The first round of the 1500m at the NCAA West Prelims is broken into four heats, each with 12 runners. The top five from each heat will advance to Saturday's Quarterfinals, as well as the top four times from those who are not inside a top five within a heat. From there, the top five from each Quarterfinal will advance to the NCAA Championships, as well as the top two times from those not within a top five within a heat.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Guermali will open things up for the Zags on Wednesday in the first round of the Men's 1500m at 6:30 p.m., with Mwaura and Smith competing in the Men's 10,000m Semifinal at 9:30 p.m.
Anderson is first up on Thursday, set to race in the Women's 1,500m First Round before Garcia and Mestler compete in the Women's 10,000m Semifinal at 9:10 p.m.
If Guermali advances, he will compete for a spot in Austin on Friday in the Men's 1,500m Quarterfinal at 5:15 p.m., with McEachern and Laird up next immediately following in the Men's 3,000m Steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. Mwaura and Smith return for the Men's 5,000m at 8:10 p.m. to close things out.
If Anderson advances, she'll compete in the Women's 1,500m Quarterfinal at 5:15 p.m. to kick off the Zags' final day at Prelims on Saturday, followed by Machu in the Women's 5,000m at 8:10 p.m.
The NCAA West Preliminaries will be broadcast live on WatchESPN. Live results will be available through GoZags.com.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 | STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
Time (PST) Event Competitors
6:30 p.m Men's 1,500m First Round Yacine Guermali
9:10 p.m. Men's 10,000m Semifinal James Mwaura, Wil Smith
THURSDAY, MAY 25 | STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
Time (PST) Event Competitors
6:30 p.m. Women's 1,500m First Round Alicia Anderson
9:10 p.m. Women's 10,000m Semifinal Kristen Garcia, Caramia Mestler
FRIDAY, MAY 26 | STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
Time (PST) Event Competitors
5:15 p.m. Men's 1,500m Quarterfinals Yacine Guermali*
5:40 p.m. Men's 3,000m Steeple Quarterfinals Cullen McEachern, Cooper Laird
8:10 p.m. Men's 5,000m Semifinals James Mwaura, Wil Smith
SATURDAY, MAY 27 | STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
Time (PST) Event Competitors
5:15 p.m. Women's 1500m Quarterfinals Alicia Anderson*
8:10 p.m. Women's 5,000m Semifinals Rosina Machu
*If runner advances to Quarterfinals
