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Bulldog Harriers Show Improvement In WCC Championship
Oct. 31, 2009
Complete Men's Results in PDF Format
Complete Women's Results in PDF Format
BELMONT, Calif. - Gonzaga University's cross country teams got at least some of the improvement they were looking for at the West Coast Conference Cross Country Championship Saturday at Crystal Springs. The Bulldogs men finished fifth with 123 points, one spot better than last year's sixth-place finish and 145 points. The Gonzaga women finished sixth with 134 points, just five points behind fifth-place Pepperdine University. Last year the Bulldog women were seventh with 211 points. The University of Portland men won their 31st straight WCC Championship with 34 points to down runner-up Loyola Marymount University in second with 54 points. The Pilots' Alfred Kipchumba won the individual title in a course record 24:20. The University of San Francisco claimed its inaugural women's title with 45 points to edge LMU in second with 52. Stephanie Wilson of Santa Clara University won the women's race in 20:32 to tie the course record, becoming the first Bronco to wear the individual crown. "It was night and day from last year," Gonzaga second-year head coach Pat Tyson said. "We showed improvement but we still have goals, and one of those is to be in the top four in this conference." Seattle sophomore Chris Boyle, who Tyson said has been the Bulldogs top runner the past two weeks, proved it Saturday with a 10th-place finish in 25:34 over the 8K course. Junior Matt Bejar, running near his hometown of San Jose, Calif., finished 23rd in 25:34 and senior Brett Withers of Woodinville, Wash., was 28th in 26:17. All three ran in last year's championship. Boyle was named to the All-WCC first team, the first Bulldog since Joe Miller in 2006 to earn first-team recognition. Miller finished second. The top 10 finishers are named to the All-WCC first team with the next five runners accorded honorable mention recognition. Newcomers comprised the rest of the Bulldog roster. Spokane freshman Tate Kelly was 30th in 26:29, Christian Burger, a freshman from Portland, Ore., was 32nd in 26:30, freshman Patrick Richie, who hails from Grand Rapids, Minn., was 37th in 26:40 and freshman Brad Kachigan from Long Beach, Calif., was 41st in 26:52. "We hoped we could have cracked the top four but they competed well. Plus, we have six of these seven back next year along with whatever we add to the arsenal for next year. We left some pretty talented alternates home this year," Tyson said. Tyson said Boyle ran a good race, starting in about 20th and gradually moving his way through the pack and getting into the top 10 in the last mile. "He would have been a good guy for some of our other runners to have keyed off," Tyson said. Tyson was especially proud of his women. "We are headed in the right direction," Tyson said of his women's squad. Junior Molly Funk of Denver drew the praises of her coach. "Molly was hit with some asthma problems during the race and probably dropped 10-14 positions in the final mile," Tyson said. "But she hung on to finish and was still in our top four. She's fine, but she was disappointed. But I'm extremely proud of her." Elizabeth Slamkowski, a sophomore from Colorado Springs, Colo., paced the Bulldogs in 22nd in 22:39 over the 6K layout to lead a solid line of tightly-bunched Bulldog blue through the finish gate. Spokane junior Corrina O'Brien was 26th in 22:47, junior Brittany O'Regan of Chico, Calif., was 27th in 22:49, Funk was 29th in 22:52, Spokane freshman Laura Bergam was 30th in 22:56, sophomore Kayla Lloyd of Hood River, Ore., was 32nd in 23:01 and Eugene, Ore., sophomore Brenn Donnelly was 40th in 23:26. "We were the best team with balance," Tyson said. "But we need a couple of top guns to go with a solid group. Our ladies are marvelous middle-distance runners, but we need some 5K runners to supplement them. But they are young and will continue to improve." Funk and O'Brien were the only Bulldog returnees from last year's championship. ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE HONORS
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