SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga women's cross country team was picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference when the results of the Preseason Coaches Poll were released on Wednesday. In addition, three Zag women's runners were named to the WCC Preseason team.
Receiving two first place votes and 53 points, GU was narrowly picked behind Portland (five first place votes, 60 points) and San Francisco (three first place votes, 58). Runners
Alicia Anderson,
Rosina Machu, and
Sadie Tuckwood earned Preseason Team nods, with Anderson earning her second straight recognition.
The Gonzaga women placed fourth as a team at the West Coast Conference Championships and seventh at the NCAA West Regional Championships in 2022. Head Coach
Jake Stewart's squad reached as high as fourth in the West rankings last season.
The Zag women return three of their top runners from 2022, including NCAA All-West and WCC First Team recipient
Rosina Machu, who currently holds the second-fastest times in both the 4K and 6K races at Gonzaga. Also returning are seniors
Alicia Anderson and
Brittney Hansen. Anderson, a 2x NCAA Qualifier in the 1500m and 5000m in the spring of 2022, and Hansen both cracked the Top 100 at the NCAA West Regionals last season.
The men's and women's teams are set to kick off their fall season on Friday at the Clash of the Inland Northwest in Cheney. The men look to capture their seventh straight team title at the event, while the women aim to win their third title in the last four years. The women's race is set to start at 8:30 a.m., with the men's race following right behind at 9 a.m. Check GoZags.com for live results and follow @ZagRunning on Twitter and Instagram for more.
2023 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Portland (5) |
60 |
| 2 |
San Francisco (3) |
58 |
| 3 |
Gonzaga (2) |
53 |
| 4 |
Santa Clara |
42 |
| 5 |
Saint Mary's |
36 |
| 6 |
San Diego |
24 |
| 7 |
LMU |
22 |
| 8 |
Pepperdine |
18 |
| 9 |
Pacific |
11 |
2023 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Team
| Athlete |
School |
| Alicia Anderson |
Gonzaga |
| Grace Copeland |
San Francisco |
| Kinsey Hall |
Santa Clara |
| Courtney Klatt |
Portland |
| Rosina Machu |
Gonzaga |
| Mie Nielson |
Portland |
| Laura Pellicoro |
Portland |
| Samantha Prusse |
Portland |
| Rayna Stanziano |
Saint Mary's |
| Sadie Tuckwood |
Gonzaga |
