SPOKANE, Wash.- Gonzaga Cross Country will host the WCC Championship for the first time in a decade, running the first ever race on a brand new Cross Country course in Spokane Valley.
The Zags will look to capture a championship at the unveiling of The Course Spokane Valley, which has already been selected as the host site of the 2027 NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championship. Gonzaga women's cross country will be hoping to repeat the outcome of last year's conference championship, when they won the WCC title. The WCC championship was last hosted in Spokane in 2015, when the Zags also won the women's cross country title.
The Zags will have some major competition as they prepare for their final run in the WCC. The Zags are currently the second ranked team in the conference in both races, with Washington State the top seeded team in both men's and women's cross country. Gonzaga Women's Cross Country is currently ranked 26th in the USTFCCCA coaches poll, while Washington State sits at 22nd. Both schools have each captured 3 WCC Runner of the Week wins so far this season. On the men's side, Washington State is ranked 11th in the nation, while the Zags currently sit just outside the poll after receiving votes again in the most recent edition.
The Zags will continue their running rivalry with the Cougars going forwards, as both teams will compete in the PAC-12 championships starting next year. The top individual runners for most of the top teams will likely return for more seasons, establishing this showdown as a matchup to watch for running fans in the west coast going forwards.
Washington State's top women's runner Rosemary Longisa is only a sophomore. Gonzaga's Logan Hofstee, a Spokane Valley local, will also be running in only her sophomore year as she leads the Zags. Jessica Frydenlund will also look to continue to build on her strong Junior year with a top finish, having set the fastest time for a Zag runner in the 6k this year when she ran a 19:56.6 at Lakefront Invitational. Hofstee holds the fourth fastest 6k time in Zag history, while Willow Collins holds the second fastest time in program history and will look to end her senior season on a high note.
Washington State's men's cross country team is lead by Evans Kurui and Solomon Kipchoge, who are both only sophomores despite their relative older age. Bryce Cerkowniak has ran the fastest time for a Zag this year as he caps his senior season, while Logan Law has ran the second fastest time of the season for GU in the midst of his Junior year campaign.
Meet Information
The meet will be the first event at The Course Spokane Valley. Both championships and the award ceremony will be streamed on ESPN+. Parking for fans & spectators will be available for free at Spokane Valley Commons (2818 N Sullivan Road, Spokane Valley). Shuttles between this parking lot and the course will be available from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. PT on race day, November 1st. Despite the street address of the lot, vehicles should enter from Marietta Street instead. Parking will not be available at the course. The first race will begin at 10:00 am.
