Gaels Look to Make History At WCC Championship Race

LAMORINDA, CA — Saint Mary's women's cross country team is looking to make history on Friday when they chase the West Coast Conference championship.

They are looking for their first win since 1990.

The women's 6k begins at 10 a.m. at Tecolote Shores North in Mission Bay Park. ESPN+ will stream the women's and men's races live.

The Gaels enter the championships after recording their fifth consecutive top-10 finish. Saint Mary's placed 10th among 23 teams at the Bronco Invitational on Oct. 17, according to the school.

First year student Audrey O'Connor led the Gaels in her first collegiate 6k, finishing 46th overall in 21:37.4.

She finished among the team's top five runners in each of her first four collegiate races, according to St. Mary's.

Sophomore Courtney Fitzgibbon followed in 21:41.9, her fastest 6k since last season's UCR Invite. Fellow sophomore Maya Crimin finished third among the Gaels in 21:56.4.

Junior Jane Harig recorded a personal-best 21:59.5, and senior Eleanor Jepsen completed the team's top five in 22:08.2.

Graduate student Kaylee Barnes brings a program record to the conference lineup.

Barnes ran 20:30.8 at the 2024 WCC Championships, the fastest 6k time a Saint Mary's runner has recorded at the meet.

Seniors Julia-Anna Lily Bell, Jane Carney, and Jepsen will also represent the Gaels, along with Harig; sophomores Fitzgibbon, Zoe Leach, Crimin, and Ava Luczkow; and O'Connor.

Fitzgibbon paced Saint Mary's at last season's conference championships, placing 43rd overall in 22:09.3. The Gaels finished seventh among 12 teams.

Friday's course features a large, grassy 2-kilometer loop and a final straightaway of 110 meters.