FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gonzaga's Rosina Machu advanced to the women's 10,000-meter national final with a third-place semifinal finish at the NCAA West Preliminary Round at John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas Thursday.
 
Machu finished with a time of 34:03.97 and became only the second Zag woman to advance to the national championships. The 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships returns to Eugene, Ore., and the sophomore runs in the 10,000-meter national final on June 6 at 8:08 p.m.
 
Machu is the first Bulldog to advance to the national championships in Eugene since Shelby Mills moved to the 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinals in 2015 and 2016. Machu is the first GU woman to ever make a national final.
 
The top 12 finishers in Thursday's 10,000-meter national semifinal advanced to the finals. Gonzaga's Kristen Garcia placed 27^th in the 48-runner field at 35:09.52.
 
Machu entered the race seeded third after running a program record time of 32:45.57 at the Stanford Invitational on March 29. Garcia was seeded 13^th with a time of 33:10.55, which she also ran at the Stanford Invite. She ends an incredible career with the program's second-fastest 10,000-meter time, 33:01.77, ran at the 2023 Stanford Invitational.
 
Earlier Thursday, Alicia Anderson placed sixth in her heat and 27^th overall in the first round of the women's 1,500 meters. She crossed the line with a time of 4:22.94 in her third straight appearance at the prelims. Anderson entered the event seeded 12^th in her heat. The senior ran her qualifying time of 4:19.88 at the Drake Relays. She owns the fourth-fastest 1,500-meter time in program history, 4:18.53, ran at the 2022 NCAA West Preliminaries in Arkansas.
 
Cooper Laird opens Friday's schedule for Gonzaga in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase quarterfinals at 12:40 p.m. Pacific Time. Bryce Cerkowniak and Wil Smith return to the track in the 5,000-meter national semifinal at 3:10. The races will be broadcast live on ESPN Plus, with live results on GoZags.com.