LODI, Calif. – Gonzaga men's cross country came up just short in defending their first-ever West Coast Conference title on Saturday at Micke Grove Golf Links. The Zag men placed all five point-scorers in the Top 15, but fell to No. 28 Portland, who placed their first five all in the Top Ten.
 
For the third-straight year, Wil Smith led the Bulldog men with a third-place finish, crossing the finish line in 23:16.0 to earn his third-consecutive First Team All-WCC honor. Bryce Cerkowniak placed sixth in 23:40.2 and Drew Kolodge placed eighth in 23:44, each earning First Team nods as well.
 
Cooper Laird (12th, 24:00.3), Logan Law (13th, 24:06.3), and Paul Talens (14th, 24:06.5) finished in succession to mark a 50-second spread between the Zags' top six. Law, the 2023 Freshman of the Year, and Talens picked up their second-straight Second Team All-WCC honor, while Laird claimed the first nod of his Gonzaga career.
 
Rounding out the Bulldog ten were Mason Kissell (18th, 24:22.0), Jacob Alfonso (19th, 24:27.0), Nick Braz (35th, 24:58.6), and Ryan Mitchell (37th, 25:03.0), as the Zags all notched Top 40 placements.
 
Washington State's Evans Kurui claimed the individual crown in his freshman season for the Cougars, crossing in 22:52.0 to beat Portland's Matt Strangio (23:12.0) by 20 seconds. The Pilot men scored 27 points ahead of Gonzaga's 42 to capture their first WCC title since 2014.
 
UP NEXT
The Zag men will look ahead to the NCAA West Regional Championships, which will take place in Colfax, Wash., on Nov. 15. GU has appeared in four-straight NCAA Championships and hopes to make it five later this month.
 
Full results of the West Coast Conference Championships can be found HERE.