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WCC Announces 2009 Cross Country Preseason Coaches Polls
Aug. 7, 2009
SPOKANE, Wash. – The West Coast Conference announced its Cross Country preseason coaches poll Thursday. The Gonzaga University men’s team was picked to finish fifth while the women’s team was projected to finish six in the 2009 season. The men’s team received 23 points to finish ahead of Pepperdine University, the University of San Diego and Saint Mary’s College. The women’s team received 19 points to earn a spot just one point behind Pepperdine and ahead of USD and Saint Mary’s. The University of Portland men's and women's cross country teams were both picked to repeat as conference champions, as chosen by the WCC coaches in the annual preseason poll. Both teams received the maximum 49 points in their respective polls, getting the first place nod from all seven other coaches in the league. San Francisco received the remaining first place vote on the men's side, while Loyola Marymount took the last vote on the women's side. The Pilots have won the men's race 30 consecutive years, the longest active streak for any cross country program in the country. Last season, Portland tied its program high with a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships and return three runners from that team in Alfred Kiphumba, who finished 18th in that race, and Tommy Betterbed, who both made the preseason all-conference team, and Matt Frerker. Other returners who made the preseason all-conference team are Andy Edick and Colin Harris. The Portand women have been just as dominant as the men, winning 19 of the 24 conference titles. It returns some of the top finishers in last year's WCC Championships in Dana Morgan (2nd) and Natalie Hemphill (5th), and join Lyndy Davis on the preseason all-conference team. Loyola Marymount was tied for second with San Francisco (40 points) on the men's side and finished second on the women's (42 points). The Lion men placed three on the preseason all-conference team in Phillip Benavides, Brian McDonald, and Connor Pastoor, who all ran on the team that lost to Portland by 10 points in the WCC Championships, making it the closest race in conference history. The Don men will look to leadership from Ganbileg Bor, the 2008 WCC Freshman of the Year and runner up at the conference championships. On the women's side, Loyola Marymount returns last year's conference champion, Tara Erdmann, and Brieanna Delaney, who finished eighth at the conference championships, who both made the preseason all-conference team.
The San Francisco women took third place with 37 points, while the Bronco men and women finished in fourth with 31 and 32 points respectively. The Dons return Laurel Kleiber, who gained All-WCC honorable mention last year and was named to the preseason all-conference team. The Santa Clara men and women both return 2008 All-WCC members Robbie Reid and Stephanie Wilson, both named to the preseason all-conference team. Pepperdine followed the Bulldogs in sixth with 20, while San Diego (11 points) edged out Saint Mary's (10) to round out the poll. On the women's side, Pepperdine (20 points), led by preseason all-conference team member Chelsea Wishard, who finished 3rd at last year's championships, just beat out the Zags. San Diego, which returns preseason all-conference member Liz Ramos, finished in seventh with 18 points, while Saint Mary's closed out the poll with seven points. The Bulldogs open the season Sept. 5 with the Clash of the Inland Northwest at Mead High School in Spokane, Wash. This year's WCC Cross Country Championships will once again be held at the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont, CA on Oct. 31. Men's XC Poll
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