Zags earn first ever USTFCCCA national ranking; Joyce, Schaaf, Rono, Lindgren & Kapkory on Pac-12 all-century team...

NEW ORLEANS—As expected, the results of the past weekend’s conference championship meets proved to be the catalyst for the shakeup in the USTFCCCA Division I coaches’ poll that was released Tuesday.

While the University of Washington women’s team maintained its #12 ranking after a solid fourth place performance in last Friday’s Pac-12 championship race in Colfax, the national voters took notice of West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga (above/photo by Paul Merca) and gave coach Patty Ley’s squad their first ever national ranking, voting the Zags #30.

The national top five women’s teams are New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, with Oregon and Providence tied at #4.

Other Pac-12 schools ranked include #11 Stanford, #12 Washington, and #20 Utah.

Eastern Washington, which finished second behind #25 Weber State at the Big Sky championships, did not receive any votes from the panel.

On the men’s side, the Huskies moved up three spots in the national poll to #17.

The nation’s top five teams as voted by the panel are Colorado, Syracuse, WCC champ BYU, Stanford, and Michigan.

Other Pac-12 schools include #7 Oregon, #17 Washington, and #20 UCLA.

The complete Division I coaches’ poll can be viewed here.

JOYCE AND SCHAAF NAMED TO PAC-12 ALL-CENTURY WOMEN’S TEAM, WHILE RONO, LINDGREN, & KAPKORY GET MEN’S NOD

The Pac-12 released the names of the conference’s all-century team in cross country as part of the conference’s year long centennial celebration late Monday night.

Twenty-four runners were selected from a field of 62 nominees chosen by each Pac-12 institution. Notable voting participants include Pac-12 Networks analysts Thomas Feuer and Dwight Stones; Former track & field/cross country beat writer for The Eugene Register Guard Curtis Anderson; and Northwest Runner writer and paulmerca.blogspot.com publisher Paul Merca.

Washington is represented by 2008 Pac-10 champion Kendra Schaaf (left/photo by Paul Merca) and Regina Joyce, while Washington State is represented by Henry Rono, Gerry Lindgren and Joseph Kapkory.

The voting panel named Oregon’s Steve Prefontaine, and Arizona’s Amy Skieresz as its runners of  the century.  Colorado coach Mark Wetmore was named the conference’s coach of the century.

You can view the panel’s selection here.

NOTE:  The Pac-12, and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report.