BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Gonzaga track punched its first two tickets to the NCAA Championships on Thursday at E.B. Cushing Stadium, qualifying two athletes in the same event for the first time in GU history. Rosina Machu and Logan Hofstee finished in the Top 12 of the women's 10,000-meter semifinal, pushing forward into the 10K national final race on June 12 at Hayward Field in Eugene.
 
"Rosina ran a really mature race, and for Logan to come in as a freshman, first time in this atmosphere and run as composed as she did," Head Coach Jake Stewart said. "I'm just really happy."
 
Machu matched her 2024 performance with another third-place finish on Thursday, finishing in 33:50.76 behind the two national title favorites in Pamela Kosgei and Diana Cherotich. Hofstee held steady behind the lead pack throughout the race, earning an 11th place, 34:30.82 finish to become the first Gonzaga freshman to qualify for an NCAA final in program history.
 
"It means so much, this program has made such a huge step forward, not with me but the girls in general," Hofstee said. "I couldn't do it without them, without Stew, without my family. It's just such a blessing to run for Gonzaga."
 
Jessica Frydenlund placed 26th in 35:11.33, and Alexi Fogo placed 31st in 35:24.19 to round out the four Bulldog runners in the race. No team had more than four qualifiers in the event, with Gonzaga entering the evening as the top-rated 10K squad in the nation.
 
"This is what we worked hard for all season just to get to be out here in this environment with the crowd and the competition," Machu said. "Midway through the race I thought to myself, no team has more athletes in the 10K than we do, and knowing I had Logan, Alexi, and Jess in this with me it pumped me up and kept me going throughout the race."
 
In yet another program first for Stewart's squad, two GU women will race at the NCAA Championships as Machu returns to the 10,000-meter final and Hofstee makes her championship debut. The Bulldogs will have a chance to send two more athletes to Eugene on Saturday, with Willow Collins (5000m) and Jessica Frydenlund (3000m Steeplechase) set to conclude Gonzaga's weekend.
 
Collins, one of three Bulldogs to race in multiple events this week, opened GU's Thursday in the first round of the 1500-meters, looking to advance to the quarterfinal round on Saturday. In the final heat of a dozen athletes, Collins placed tenth in 4:22.08, missing a qualifying mark by just three spots on the overall leaderboard.
 
Ellie Armbruster also made program history on Thursday as the first Zag to compete in the 800-meters at the West Prelims, also looking to push into the quarterfinal round on Saturday. In the final heat of the evening, she placed fifth in 2:08.50, concluding her incredible Gonzaga career as the current record-holder in three indoor events and two outdoor events.
 
UP NEXT
Friday's action will conclude the Gonzaga men's week in College Station, as Wil Smith returns to the oval for the 5,000-meter semifinal. Before that, three Bulldogs will race in the 3000-meter Steeplechase quarterfinals: Cooper Laird, Sean Janecko, and Paul Talens. Catch the action on ESPN+ or receive live updates via @ZagRunning on social media.