Portland swept the West Coast Conference men's and women's cross country championships for the fifth year in a row and the Pilot men captured their 22nd consecutive WCC crown. The women earned their fifth consecutive title. For the second straight year, all seven Pilot men earned All-WCC honors for finishing in the top ten. The UP women placed four on the All-WCC team.
CRAIG WINS MEN'S RACE, PILOT MEN DEFEND TITLE
Portland sophomore Ryan Craig won the 2000 men's 8K race in 25:11, beating San Diego sophomore Antonio Lopez to the line by ten seconds. The Pilot men only placed two runners in the top five, but swept the 6-10 spots to secure their 22nd straight crown.
Santa Clara finished second, their best showing since 1996, and the Broncos' 52 points was their best team performance since a 48-point outing in 1986. SCU placed two runners in the top five, senior Charlie Brenneman and junior Michael Helms.
RICCI PACES PORTLAND WOMEN AS THEY WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT
Portland sophomore Nicole Ricci ran away from the field to claim the women's individual title in a time of 18:02. She finished 39 seconds ahead of teammate Alyson Barrett in second place. Portland and runner-up Gonzaga each placed four runners in the top ten overall, with the Pilots taking the first three spots. The Pilots' team title was the 12th in school history and the fifth in a row. With 40 points, Gonzaga had their highest finish since 1997 and best team total since 1995.
SCU'S MALONEY, GU'S SWAIM COACHES OF THE YEAR
Santa Clara's John Maloney and Gonzaga's Kevin Swaim earned the WCC Coach of the Year honors for their teams' second-place finishes in this year's meet. The Santa Clara men knocked a combined total of 5:36 off last year's time and gave Portland their closest points battle since 1993. The Gonzaga women finished second with 40 points, their second-best total ever, and cut a combined 6:03 off their team time from 1999.
FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR
Saint Mary's Allegra Porter, who finished fifth in the women's race with a time of 19:01, and Portland's Jeff Driscoll, whose 25:42 was good for sixth in the men's race, are the 2000 WCC Freshmen of the Year.
2000 MEN'S RESULTS
1 Portland 25
2 Santa Clara 52
3 San Diego 107
4 Saint Mary's 129
5 Gonzaga 138
6 Pepperdine 142
7 Loyola Marymount 169
8 San Francisco 198
2000 WOMEN'S RESULTS
1 Portland 23
2 Gonzaga 40
3 Pepperdine 105
4 Santa Clara 111
5 Saint Mary's 144
5 San Francisco 144
7 San Diego 180
8 Loyola Marymount 190
2000 MEN'S ALL-WCC
1 Ryan Craig, POR 25:11
2 Antonio Lopez, USD 25:21
3 Eric Kiauka, POR 25:26
4 Charlie Brenneman, SCU 25:30
5 Michael Helms, SCU 25:31
6 Jeff Driscoll, POR 25:42
7 Shawn Downey, POR 25:50
8 Rick White, POR 25:54
9 Kevin Smith, POR 25:59
10 Aaron Lindner, POR 26:11
2000 WOMEN'S ALL-WCC
1 Nicole Ricci, POR 18:02
2 Alyson Barrett, POR 18:41
3 Jessie Newton, POR 18:42
4 Tana Caskey, GON 18:49
5 Allegra Porter, SMC 19:01
6 Sara Sundborg, POR 19:04
7 Alanna Steinert, GON 19:14
8 Emily Steinert, GON 19:16
9 Paula Link, GON 19:19
10 Jenny Smokey, SCU 19:2
