SAN MATEO, Calif. – Seven-time defending West Coast Conference champion BYU was picked to win the program’s eighth WCC Men's Cross Country Championship in the annual preseason poll announced on Wednesday.
The preseason poll and the All-WCC team were selected solely by a vote of the conference’s nine head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams and student-athletes.
The Cougars, currently ranking fourth nationally, took first with 62 points, including six first-place votes. The Cougars garnered the second-most runners on the preseason team with three. Among the Cougars on the preseason team is All-American and three-time preseason honoree Casey Clinger. His teammate Brandon Garnica picked up another preseason accolade after earning the recognition last fall.
No. 16 Gonzaga and No. 15 Portland tied to finish second with 54 points. The Zags earned two first-place votes compared to one for the Pilots, and the Bulldogs led the way with four runners on the preseason team.
Other preseason team honorees who made the team last year include Yacine Guermali, James Mwaura and Wil Smith from Gonzaga, and Zak Kirk from Portland.
The 2022 WCC Cross Country Men’s and Women’s Championship will be held Friday, October 28 at Fernhill Park in Portland, Ore.
2022 WCC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll
| Place |
Team |
First Place |
Points |
| 1. |
BYU |
6 |
62 |
| 2. |
Gonzaga |
2 |
54 |
| 3. |
Portland |
1 |
54 |
| 4. |
Santa Clara |
|
44 |
| 5. |
Saint Mary's |
|
35 |
| 6. |
LMU |
|
25 |
| 7. |
Pepperdine |
|
22 |
| 8. |
San Francisco |
|
17 |
| 9. |
San Diego |
|
11 |
| 2022 Men’s Cross Country Preseason All-WCC Team |
|
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
|
| Lucas Bons |
BYU |
So. |
|
| Casey Clinger |
BYU |
Jr. |
|
| Cathal Doyle |
Portland |
Gr. |
|
| Brandon Garnica |
BYU |
Sr. |
|
| Yacine Guermali |
Gonzaga |
Sr. |
|
| Zak Kirk |
Portland |
Sr. |
|
| Zach Litoff |
Santa Clara |
Gr. |
|
| Cullen McEachern |
Gonzaga |
Sr. |
|
| James Mwaura |
Gonzaga |
Sr. |
|
| Wil Smith |
Gonzaga |
So. |
|