Full Regional/National USTFCCCA Rankings I WCC XC Championship Central I Direct WCC Live Stream Link I Live Results I Full FloTrack Rankings
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the 2017 West Coast Conference Cross Country Championships in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Oct. 27. This year's race boasts another strong field, featuring two nationally ranked teams on the women's side, and three top-30 teams on the men's side. The races will be held at Metropolitan Golf Link, located in the East Bay.
The women's 6k race will kick off the day at 10 a.m. The Pilots' top competition includes No. 4 University of San Francisco and No. 18 BYU.
"We're excited for the WCC meet but I also view it as a stepping stone to the regional championships," said head coach Ian Solof. "Our group is rounding into form and we plan to have Mathilde Sagnes back in our lineup so hopefully that gives us a little bump, especially when we go to Seattle."
Last season, junior Lauren LaRocco pulled away early in the 6K race and held onto a huge lead, claiming the 2016 individual title with a time of 20:27.8. The 2017 victory marked the 20th WCC team title for the Portland women and the 10th time the Pilots had won both the team and individual crowns in the same year. LaRocco, and then-seniors Anne Luijten and Parkes Kendrick earned All-WCC first team honors and Solof was named WCC Head coach of the year.
This year's squad will be led by Freshman Jasmijn Lau and junior Taryn Rawlings. Lau has had an impressive rookie season finishing fourth at the Dellinger Invite and 18
th at NCAA Pre Nationals. Rawlings earned WCC Honorable mention at the 2016 WCC's with her 13
th place finish and most recently placed 48
th at Pre Nats. She also had an impressive track season, advancing to the 2017 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 1500m.
Senior Mathilde Sagnes who finished 20
th at last year at the Championships, will also make her first appearance of this season with the Pilots on Friday.
Following the women's race will be the men's 8k race at 11:00 a.m. The No.3 Portland men boast their highest ever program ranking by the USTFCCCA and are joined at the Championships by nationally ranked No.2 BYU and No.29 USF.
Last season, the then-No.12 men came second to then-No.4 BYU in a tight competitive race. Nick Hauger placed third overall, with Jeff Thies right behind him in eighth. Both Pilots were named to the All-WCC First Team. Thies also had an exceptional outdoor track season, earning All-American honors in the 1500m.
This year, the Portland men shocked the nation jumping 22 spots after their second-place finish just behind No.1 Northern Arizona, at the Nuttycombe Invitational. The Pilots almost had three men in the top-ten spots with Thies in eighth, Hauger in ninth, and Roudolff-Levisse in 11
th. After the impressive race, Thies has been recognized nationally with a top-20 individual ranking by FloTrack.
For the fifth straight year, the WCC Championships will be live streamed on Youtube. You can find the link at the WCC's Cross Country Championship Central and on PortlandPilots.com
Several Pilots on both the men's and women's teams will also compete at the Beaver Classic on Saturday, Oct, 28. At Avery Park in Corvallis, Ore.
USTFCCCA Men's National Coaches Poll (Top-5)
1.Northern Arizona
2. BYU
3. Portland
4. Syracuse
5. Colorado
USTFCCCA Men's Regional Coaches Poll
1.Portland
2. Stanford
3. Oregon
4. UCLA
5. Washington State
6. Washington
7. San Francisco
8. Boise State
9. California
10. Gonzaga
11. Cal Poly
12. Santa Clara
13. Loyola Marymount
14. Arizona
15. Cal State Fullerton
USTFCCCA Women's Regional Coaches Poll
1.Oregon
2. San Francisco
3. Boise State
4. Washington
5. Stanford
6. California
7. Arizona
8. Portland
9. Arizona State
10. UCLA
11. Oregon State
12. Cal Poly
13. UC Santa Barbara
14. Idaho
15. Cal State Fullerton
FloTrack Men's National Rankings (Top-10)
1.Northern Arizona
2. BYU
3. Portland
4. Syracuse
5. Stanford
6. Colorado
7. Oregon
8. Furman
9. Colorado State
10. Southern Utah
FloTrack Men's Individual Rankings
1.Justyn Knight – Syracuse (1
st at Wisconsin)
2. Grant Fisher – Stanford (2
nd at Wisconsin)
3. Jacob Choge – Middle Tennessee (1
st at Crimson)
4. Vincent Kiprop – Alabama (2
nd at Crimson)
5. Andy Trouard – Northern Arizona (3
rd at Wisconsin)
6. Rory Linkletter – BYU (1
st at Pre-Nats)
7. Gilbert Kigen – Alabama (3
rd at Crimson)
8. Tyler Day – Northern Arizona (4
th at Wisconsin)
9. Matthew Baxter – Northern Arizona (5
th at Wisconsin)
10. Hassan Abdi – Oklahoma State (1
st at PSU Open)
11. Peter Seufer – Virginia Tech (2
nd at Pre-Nats)
12. Amon Kemboi – Campbell (3
rd at Pre-Nats)
13. Azaria Kirwa – Liberty (4
th at Pre-Nats)
14. Dillon Maggard – Utah State (5
th at Pre-Nats)
15. Alex George – Arkansas (16
th at Pre-Nats)
16. Jack Bruce – Arkansas (18
th at Pre-Nats)
17. Alfred Chelanga – Alabama (4
th at Crimson)
18. Jonathan Davis – Illinois (6
th at Wisconsin)
19. Robert Brandt – UCLA (7
th at Wisconsin)
20. Jeff Thies – Portland (8th at Wisconsin)
21. Connor McMillan – BYU (6
th at Pre-Nats)
22. Casey Cliunger – BYU (7
th at Pre-Nats)
23. Matthew Maton – Oregon (IDLE)
24. Jonathan Green – Georgetown (8
th at Pre-Nats)
25. Joe Klecker – Colorado (9
th at Pre-Nats)
Race Day Schedule
Friday, October 27
Women's 6k Race – 10:00 AM
Men's 8k Race – 11:00 AM
WCC XC Championship History (Full History can be found here)
Men's Team Champions
2016 - BYU
2015 - BYU
2014 - Portland
2013 - BYU
2012 - Portland
Men's Individual Champions
2016 - Alex Short (San Francisco)
2015 - Aaron Fletcher (BYU)
2014 - David Perry, Sr. (Portland)
2013 - Jason Witt (BYU)
2012 - Jared Ward (BYU)
Women's Team Champions
2016 - Portland
2015 - Gonzaga
2014 - BYU
2013 - San Francisco
2012 - San Francisco
Women's Individual Champions
2016 - Lauren LaRocco (Portland)
2015 - Shelby Mills (Gonzaga)
2014 - Tansey Lystad (Portland)
2013 - Bridget Dahlberg (San Francisco)
2012 - Eva Krchova (San Francisco)
