#23/RV Gonzaga at Nuttycombe Invitational
FRIDAY, SEPT. 27 | THOMAS ZIMMER CHAMPIONSHIP CROSS COUNTRY COURSE | MADISON, WIS.
10:20 AM PT (W) / 11:00 AM PT (M)
LIVE STREAM (RUNNERSPACE+) |
LIVE RESULTS |
MEET INFO
STARTING LINES
- No. 23 women's cross country returns to the Nuttycombe Invitational for the first time since 2022 and third time overall. In 2022, they finished 36th after a 21st place team finish in 2021.
- The Gonzaga women are coming off of back-to-back meet wins to open the 2024 season.
- After a dominant win at the Clash of the Inland NW, GU won the Cougar Classic two weeks later.
- In the latest USTFCCCA polls, the GU women rank fourth in the West Region and 23rd nationally.
- RV men's cross country will appear in their fourth straight Nuttycombe Invitational after a pair of 26th place team finishes in 2022 and 2023. Their highest finish came in 2021, placing seventh.
- The Zag men are coming off a Clash of the Inland NW win and a third-place Cougar Classic finish.
- In the latest USTFCCCA polls, the GU men are sixth in the West Region and receiving votes nationally.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
- The 2024 women's field features 18 teams ranked or receiving votes in last week's USTFCCCA poll.
- Six teams currently ranked in the Top 15 (#4 Oregon, #5 Washington, #10 Providence, #13 Lipscomb, #14 Utah, and #15 Georgetown) will race this year and will be joined by nine teams ranked 16-30 (#T-16 Virginia, #18 North Carolina, #19 Wisconsin, #22 Boston College, #23 Gonzaga,   #24 Northwestern, #28 Syracuse, #29 Penn State, and #30 Iowa State).
- This year's men's field will feature 20 teams either currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA poll. GU is one of two teams in the field receiving national poll votes.
- Six teams in the field are currently ranked in the Top 15 (#2 BYU, #5 Iowa State, #6 North Carolina, #13 Wisconsin, #14 Eastern Kentucky, and #15 Virginia).
- The remaining 12 ranked teams in the field fall into places 16-30 (#16 Portland, #17 Villanova, #T-18 Princeton, #T-18 Syracuse, #20 Wake Forest, #21 Colorado, #23 Iona, #25 Montana State, #26 Michigan, #27 Washington, #29 Tulsa, and #30 Air Force).
ABOUT THE COURSE
- The Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course opened in 2009 and has become the host of some of the country's top cross country events.
- Located adjacent to University Ridge Golf Course, UW's cross country course features an exterior loop of approximately 2,500 meters and an interior loop of 1,000 meters. Both loops cover the area's rolling hills and valleys, while the outside loop also runs through a section of dense woods, which are aflame with color in the fall.
- The course is built to accommodate race distances of 4K, 5K, 6K, 8K and 10K and features a wide starting area designed to host major championship events.
- Spectators enjoy outstanding elevated views of the entire course from a berm situated between the starting area and finishing chute. Numerous pedestrian trails and cutouts make it easy for spectators following the races to move freely throughout the course.
THE LATEST POLLS
- Gonzaga women's cross country jumped up two spots in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national poll on Sept. 17. After opening the season at No. 25 and winning each of their first two meets, the Bulldog women are now No. 23 in the nation. That mark ranks second all-time in program history (No. 21, 2022).
- FloTrack ranks the Gonzaga women at No. 18 in the country, according to their latest poll.
Rosina Machu is ranked seventh nationally in FloTrack's individual rankings.
- After opening the season at No. 30, Gonzaga men's cross country is receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA national poll. The Zag men opened with their eighth straight Clash of the Inland Northwest title before placing third at the Cougar Classic. This week's Nuttycombe Invitational lineup will be the first race for six of the eight Bulldog men this season.
- FloTrack has the Zag men ranked at No. 31 in their latest national team rankings.
Wil Smith leads the Zags at No. 84, while
Bryce Cerkowniak also sits in the Top 100 at No. 96.
- The GU women held their ranking of No. 4 in the USTFCCCA West Region poll last week. The Zag men also held steady at No. 6 in their latest West Region poll ranking.
NEXT UP
- Gonzaga's next meet is the Whitman Invitational and will take place in Walla Walla, Wash., on Veteran's Memorial Golf Course Oct. 5.
ZAG WOMEN SECURE COUGAR CLASSIC TITLE
- The No. 25 Gonzaga women's cross country team brought an incomplete squad to the Cougar Classic on Sept. 13 and took home the team title, backed by four top-ten finishes including a second-place finish from freshman
Logan Hofstee.
- Gonzaga scored 39 points, finishing ten points ahead of Boise State (49 points).
- The win marked the Bulldogs' first since 2021, alternating first and second place finishes in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
- Hofstee's second-place was the highest since
Kristen Garcia and Claire Manley won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2021.
ANOTHER NOTABLE ZAG DEBUT
- GU women's cross country's Logan Hoftsee placed second in her collegiate debut at the Cougar Classic on Sept. 13.
- Since 2021, a Gonzaga woman has placed first or second in her team debut race on three separate occasions.
- In 2021,
Sadie Tuckwood won the Clash of the Inland Northwest in her first race. In 2023,
Jessica Frydenlund was the Clash of the Inland Northwest champion, also winning her Gonzaga debut.
ANOTHER CLASH SWEEP
- Gonzaga opened their season on Aug. 30 at the Clash of the Inland Northwest on Eastern Washington's campus.
- For the second straight season, the program swept both individual and team titles in commanding fashion.
-
Jade Rypkema led the Zag women to a perfect score of 15 with her first collegiate individual win.
- The women have now won four team titles in five years, while the men have secured eight straight team titles.
PRESEASON HONORS AND RANKINGS
- The Gonzaga men and women were picked as favorites to win the West Coast Conference on Aug. 23. In addition, eight combined athletes were selected to the preseason team.
- The Zag women received seven first-place votes and 76 points to top the women's WCC preseason poll. The men tied with Portland at 46 points and five first-place votes.
- In the USTFCCCA West Region preseason coaches' poll, the Gonzaga women came in at No. 4 while the men came in at No. 6.
- For the sixth straight season, the Gonzaga men appeared in the first USTFCCCA National Coaches' poll of the season. This year, they will open the season ranked No. 30.
- The Gonzaga women appeared in the preseason USTFCCCA National Coaches' poll for the second time in the last three seasons, coming in at No. 25 to open their 2024 campaign.
2023 SEASON RECAP
- The men won six team titles throughout the 2023 season, including their first ever West Coast Conference title.
- Smith, Kolodge, and
Bryce Cerkowniak earned USTFCCCA All-West Region honors at the NCAA West Regionals.
- After securing the WCC title, the men placed second at the NCAA West Regional, knocking off three ranked teams.
- After earning their second-straight automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, the men placed 28th at nationals.
- The women won four team titles and collected five individual titles throughout the season.
-
Rosina Machu won individual titles at the Lakefront Invitational, Bronco Invitational, and WCC Championships.
- Machu and Tuckwood earned USTFCCCA All-West Region honors at the NCAA West Regionals.
- Machu became just the second female USTFCCCA All-American in program history, placing 16th at nationals.
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