XC | The Dons are Ready for the Conference Championships

10/24/2017 | Cross Country

Box Assignments | Live Results | Live Stream | Championship Central

AT A GLANCE
SAN FRANCISCO - West Coast Conference schools will descend upon the Bay Area to compete in the 2017 WCC cross country Championship. This is the first time the University of San Francisco will host the WCC Championships, which will be held at the Metropolitan Golf Links this Friday, Oct. 27.

Full of confidence, the No. 4 nationally ranked USF women's team will be eager to get out on the course and bring back the WCC crown to San Francisco after a three-year hiatus.

The Dons will have nine runners competing, five of which are returning from last year's No. 6 NCAA Championship finishing side. Two of those returning runners finished in the Top-5 at last year's meet, Weronika Pyzik and Marie Bouchard. Pyzik has been in incredible form this season, pacing the Dons with a trio of Top-10 finishes including two first-place finishes, individually. Charlotte Taylor will be looking for a bit of redemption this year, after she was unable to finish the race last year. The senior is coming off an outstanding race at the Nuttycombe Invitational where she finished third overall, leading the Dons to a second-place team finish. Also returning from last year's team are Isabelle Brauer and Tatjana Schulte. Valerie Almanza, Lizzie Bird, Lea Meyer and Alena Ulrichova will round out this deep lineup of racers for the Dons.

Along with the strong team of USF, the No. 6 Dons will be competing against No. 19 BYU and defending WCC champions, Portland.

The No. 29 ranked men will also bring nine runners and are riding high on confidence following their performance at the Nuttycombe Invitational. The Dons will be returning three runners from last year's meet, including Mohamed Aziz who will be competing in his fourth WCC Championships. The senior has been in great form this season, turning in a couple of Top-10 performances including his first, first-place finish at the USF Invitational. Also returning for the Dons are junior Caleb McClain and sophomore Hugh Nicklason. Rounding out the squad will be a handful of first-time WCC competitors Jacob Allen, Isaias DeLeon, Leo Donlea, Scott Halsted, Alex Howard and Jack Rowe.

The Dons will have to be on their game, as they will come up against perennial WCC powerhouses and top-five nationally ranked schools, No. 2 BYU and No. 3 Portland. BYU will be going for their third consecutive WCC crown on Friday.

Fans can follow along on social media using the #WCCchamps hashtag. For the seventh consecutive year, the event will be streamed live on theW.tv with broadcasters George Devine and Josh Muxon on the call from the course.

West Coast Conference Championships
Friday, Oct. 27 | W: 10 a.m., M: 11 a.m.
Metropolitan Golf Links
Video: The W.Tv Live Stream

RACE STATS

• Both the men's and women's teams come into the WCC Championships following a historic week for the program. The women's team broke into the top-5 at No. 4 in the country, a program best. For the men, they enter this Friday at No. 29 in the country. This is the first time the men's side have cracked the top-30 teams in the country.
• The one-two punch of Charlotte Taylor and Weronika Pyzik will look to continue their electric 2017 form and lead the No. 4 women's side to a sixth WCC title.
• Isabelle Brauer will also play an important role for USF, as her high race finishes have kept the Dons' team scores low.
• Mohamed Aziz will return to the lineup this Friday after missing out on the Nuttycombe Invitational. Aziz has been a key performer for the Dons this season, finishing first for the Dons at the USF Invitational and the Roy Griak.