LEWISTON, Idaho- Gonzaga Cross Country captured another two team victories on Saturday morning, with both the men's and women's teams winning their respective races at the Inland Empire Classic.
The women's team opened the day with a victory in the first race of the meet, capturing a team win with six runners finishing in the top 20 places. Camille Broadbent finished as the top runner for the Zags, capturing fourth place with a time of 17:04 in the 5k race. This is the fifth fastest 5k time recorded in a meet in Cross Country history for the women's program. Â Maria Taggi Padro finished sixth overall, running a personal best of 17:15. She was followed closely by her sister Emma, who ran a 17:37 race to capture 11th place. The scoring top 5 was rounded out by Jorun Downing and Anika Jones, who respectively ran times of 17:38 and 17:42.
The men's team secured the win in the later race, finishing four runners in the top 15 spots to lock in the result. Gus Clevenger ran a 23:53 time in the 8k race, securing third place overall. He was joined by Jacob Alfonso, who ran a 24:15 overall time for ninth overall. Caden Swanson and Hayden Roberts finished right behind each other, running a 24:23 and 24:28 race each. Luke Alfonso rounded out the scoring top five as he took sixteenth place with a time of 24:34.
The attention of both Zag Cross Country and running world at large will turn to Wisconsin, as GU will run at Nuttycombe Invitational next week. One of the largest dates on the cross country season calendar and most prestigious meets in the sport, the Zags will be running against several of the best teams in the nation when they travel to Madison to race on Friday.
