No. 9 BYU picked to win WCC Championship

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – No. 9 BYU women's cross country enters the 2017 season as the preseason favorite in the West Coast Conference as chosen by the league's coaches. The Cougars finished 10th nationally last season at the NCAA Championship race in Terre Haute, Indiana, with Erica Birk-Jarvis crossing the finish line 34th overall. 

The Cougars earned 74 votes to be named the predicted WCC champions, followed by No. 10 San Francisco with 68 votes and Portland with 60. They were followed by Loyola Marymount (47), Gonzaga (46), Saint Mary's (32), San Diego (31), Santa Clara (24), Pacific (14) and Pepperdine (9). 

Five programs placed at least one runner on the preseason All-West Coast Conference Team. BYU paved the way with four runners, followed by Portland and San Francisco with two each. 

The 2017 WCC Championship race will be held Friday, October 27, at the Metropolitan Links Golf Course in Oakland, California.

The Cougars open their season with the BYU Autumn Classic Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, September 16, at the East Bay Golf Course in Provo. The schedule for the race can be found here.