Both Gonzaga squads ranked in USTFCCCA national top 30 for first time in program history...

NEW ORLEANS--The latest edition of the USTFCCCA Division I national poll released Tuesday has one significant addition, as the Gonzaga Bulldog women's squad (Paul Merca photo) returned to the national top 30 for the first time since the 2015 season when they won the West Coast Conference championship and qualified for the national championships in Louisville.

The Zags come in ranked number 29 after finishing behind number 4 ranked Brigham Young in last Friday's WCC championship race in Concord, California.

For Gonzaga, the national ranking by both its women's and men's teams mark the first time in program history that both squads are in the national top 30 since the USTFCCCA began ranking teams.

The Cougars and the Bulldogs are the only WCC schools ranked in the women's national top 30.

Meanwhile, the University of Washington women's squad dropped three places to number 21 in the national poll after their fourth place finish in the Pac-12 championships in Salt Lake City.

The top five teams in the latest national women's poll are in order: North Carolina State, New Mexico, Colorado, BYU, and Minnesota.

Pac-12 teams in the women's national top 30 include number 7 Utah, number 20 Oregon, and number 26 Stanford.

On the men's side, the Washington men's squad shook off their disappointing performance at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and rocketed 13 spots to number 13 after their third place finish at the Pac-12s Friday, thanks to top ten finishes by newcomers Brian Fay and Kieran Lumb and a pack mentality that saw all five scorers finish in the top 20 with a 34 second 1-5 split.

Gonzaga dropped two spots in the national poll to number 15, despite a solid second place finish behind BYU at the WCC Championships.

The national top five are in order: Northern Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Stanford.

Number 16 Oregon is the only other Pac-12 team in the national top 30, while BYU at number 8 and Portland at number 30 are the only other WCC teams ranked in the top 30.

The USTFCCCA release is available here.

NOTE: The USTFCCCA contributed to this report.

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