Gonzaga men’s XC reaches No. 12
The Gonzaga men’s cross country program reached new heights in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association Coaches' Poll, checking in at No. 12.
Courtesy photo/Gonzaga Athletics
SPOKANE — Gonzaga's men's cross country enters this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches' Poll ranked the highest ever in program history, coming in at No. 12 after a strong outing at the Cowboy Jamboree over the weekend in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Zag men finished 10th overall with 245 points en route to beating six ranked teams in the most competitive meet so far in the NCAA this season. Yacine Guermali led the way for Gonzaga with a 15th place individual finish in a time of 23 minutes, 42.6 seconds over the 8,000 meter course on the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.
The latest ranking eclipses the men's previous highest national ranking at No. 13 back in the 2021 season when they reached the national meet for the second consecutive season under head coach Pat Tyson.
The Zag men also rose in the West regional rankings to No. 2, besting another previous program best of No. 3. Stanford remains No. 1 since the preseason rankings were released.
The GU women dropped in the national and regional rankings after a fifth-place outing at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown at Franklin Park in Boston. The women scored 170 points in the team standings with Kristen Garcia crossing the tape first in 17:41, placing 14th overall. The women went from No. 21 to No. 30 in the national rankings and No. 4 to No. 6 in the West regional rankings.
Both the men's and women's teams return to racing in Lewiston, Idaho for the Inland Empire Classic on Oct. 8.