College cross country: James Mwaura wins Clash of the Inland Northwest in Gonzaga debut

MOSCOW, Idaho – Freshman James Mwaura’s debut with Gonzaga’s men’s cross country team couldn’t have gone better Friday.

Mwaura led the Bulldogs to sweep of the top four spots at the Clash of the Inland Northwest, completing the 6,000-meter layout at the University of Idaho’s Golf Course in 17 minutes, 4.8 seconds.

Zags Sammy Truax (17:15.1), Kyle Thompson (17:15.4) and Andrew Clusserath (17:19.9) came in behind Mwaura, the State 3A cross country champion for Lincoln High in Tacoma as a junior and senior.

The host Vandals swept the top five women’s spots, led by Andrea Condie (13:50.3 for 4,000) and Kara Story (14:02.1).