Men's cross country picked to finish first in WCC Preseason Poll

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – BYU has been selected to unseat perennial power Portland for the 2015 West Coast Conference Championship. This is no small feat given the domination Portland has shown capturing 34 of the last 36 championships. The Pilots posted a third place finish at the 2014 NCAA Championships, the best showing in program and conference history. The Cougars finished 16th.

BYU collected 62 points including six first place votes, while the Pilots collected 59 points and three first place votes. Gonzaga earned 48 points for third place and San Francisco followed with 40. Coming in fifth is Loyola Marymount with 32 point, but not far behind are Santa Clara (30) and Saint Mary’s (29). Pacific earned 18 points and Pepperdine 13. 

Three programs are represented by at least one student-athlete on the preseason All-West Coast Conference Team. BYU led the way once again with six preseason picks. Portland landed three representatives and Saint Mary’s has one. 

The 2015 WCC Preview race is set for Saturday, Sept. 19, at Plantes Ferry Park in Spokane, Washington, and will showcase multiple WCC teams. Plantes Ferry Park will serve as the site for the 2015 WCC Championship scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31. 

For a complete interactive schedule, please visit WCCsports.com and follow @WCCsports on Twitter for updates throughout the season.