Washington State XC carries high expectations into WCC Championships at The Course

The gutting of the field and sprint events in Washington State’s track program has certainly had a Newton’s law effect.

The Cougars have become major players in cross country.

That is likely to be seen in the reveal of the Course Spokane Valley on Saturday, when the West Coast Conference stages its 41st championships at the new Flora Road venue. The races – 6,000 meters for women, 8,000 for men – begin at 10 a.m., streaming live on ESPN Plus. Free parking for spectators is available at Spokane Valley Commons, 2818 N. Sullivan Road with the entrance on Marietta Street, with shuttle service to the site beginning at 8:30. There will be no public parking at the course.

Their national rankings – 11th among men, 22nd among women – make the Cougars race favorites, though the women figure to be pushed by No. 26 and defending champion Gonzaga. The teams were two places apart at the recent Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, where WSU’s Rosemary Longisa ran third in an elite field.

With defending women’s champion Rosina Machu of Gonzaga out of cross-country eligibility, the Zags will rely on Spokane sophomore Logan Hofstee, Jessica Frydenlund and Willow Collins and a tighter bunching to challenge the Cougars.

“We kind of view all three as No. 1s to lead us,” said Gonzaga coach Jake Stewart, “and they’ve run well off each other.”

The Zag men, too, lost a national-caliber leader in Will Smith and so “have to have that classic pack mentality,” said coach Pat Tyson, behind Logan Law and Bryce Cerkowniak. But despite being ranked fifth in the West region, they have lost head-to-head against WSU three times this year, underscoring the Cougars’ strength.

Coach Wayne Phipps extended his Kenyan recruiting reach to add Texas Tech transfers Solomon Kipchoge and Vincent Koech to defending WCC champ Evans Kurui. Last year’s Big 12 runner-up, Kipchoge ran second at Nuttycombe and first at Missouri’s Gans Creek event.

“WSU could take five of the top 10 spots if they have a good day,” said Tyson, who also expects defending champion Portland to figure in the mix.