MADISON, Wis. - Gonzaga women's cross country raced at their second-ever NCAA Championships and first since 2015 on Saturday. In a tough field on the Thomas Zimmer Championships Course, the Zag women placed 25th.
Rosina Machu was the leader for Gonzaga on Saturday, placing 45th and finishing in 20:08.2. Machu was five spots short of earning her second USTFCCCA All-American honor after placing 16th in last years championship 6K race.
Entering the first checkpoint at one kilometer, the GU women were in 31st place as a team. Gonzaga didn't give up, as by the four-kilometer mark the Bulldogs had bumped up into 25th, where they remained for the final two kilometers.
Willow Collins was the second scorer for Gonzaga, placing 137th in 20:45.6.
Jessica Frydenlund (166th, 20:54.7),
Jade Rypkema (175th, 20:59.6), and
Logan Hofstee (201st, 21:11.0) rounded out the scoring five on Saturday to sum the Zags' 574 team points. In their lone other NCAA Championships appearance (2015), the GU women placed 25th with 615 points.
Anna Grabowski jumped 11 spots in the final kilometer to place 216th (21:19.4), and
Alexi Fogo moved up nine spots to finish 220th (21:24.2). All seven Gonzaga runners improved their placements in the final 1,000 meters.
The Gonzaga women conclude a historic 2024 season that saw six meet titles, their third-ever West Coast Conference Championship, and their first NCAA bid since 2015. All eyes will turn towards the rubber as GU kicks off the indoor track season in December.
