BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Gonzaga men's track wrapped their 2025 outdoor season on Friday, falling short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships on Day Three of the West Preliminaries at E.B. Cushing Stadium. A trio of Bulldogs raced in the 3000-meter steeplechase, while Wil Smith competed in the 5000-meter semifinal.
 
Paul Talens led the way in the steeplechase, placing 24th overall in 8:56.98 in his first-ever postseason race on the track. Cooper Laird placed 41st in 9:19.04 as he donned a Gonzaga jersey for the final time in his collegiate career, matching a program high with his fourth preliminary appearance, becoming the first GU steepler to achieve that feat. Sean Janecko made his prelims debut, placing 45th in 9:25.26.
 
Wil Smith hit the track in the 5K semifinal race, hoping to push through to the NCAA Championships for the second straight season. In a tough field of individuals, Smith placed 34th overall with a time of 9:25.26, capping his decorated career in a uniform that saw the Spokane-native etch his name among the top ranks in Gonzaga history.
 
As he wraps his time at GU, Smith owns records in five events across three seasons of running, including both 8K and 10K cross country program records. He became the first Zag to appear in five consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championships, helping lead the Bulldogs to their first four nationals appearances as a team. On the track, Smith ranks in the program's top three in each of the seven events he competed in, earning his first All-American nod last spring in the 5000-meters.
 
This season, the Gonzaga men added 30 entries into their top ten lists, breaking a tough mile record along the way. They'll turn their attention back to cross country as they look to return to the top of the West Coast Conference and compete in the growingly tough West Region.
 
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The Gonzaga women will wrap the week in College Station on Saturday, racing in the steeple and 5K as Jessica Frydenlund and Willow Collins look to follow the pair of Bulldogs in Rosina Machu and Logan Hofstee, who have already punched their 10K tickets to Eugene in two weeks.