SAN MATEO, Calif. – The No.15 Portland Pilots Men's Cross Country team was picked to finish third in the 2022 WCC Preseason Cross Country Coaches Poll, the conference announced on Wednesday. The Pilots were selected to place behind BYU and Gonzaga.

The preseason poll, as well as the WCC preseason team were selected by a vote of the nine WCC head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own team or student-athletes.

The WCC selected both Zak Kirk and Cathal Doyle as 2022 All-WCC Preseason Team. Kirk finished ninth at the 2021 WCC Championships, while Cathal Doyle did not compete. Zak Kirk was consistently the Pilots' top finisher last year, finishing 10^th at the NCAA West Regional Championships and 52^nd at the NCAA National Championships. Cathal Doyle ranks No. 2 on the Pilots all-time 5,000m list in track, and is also the school record holder in the 1,500m. Doyle is a two-time national qualifier in the 1500m discipline.

No.4 BYU was the top choice in the conference, receiving 62 total points and six first place votes. This was their eighth consecutive time being ranked first in the WCC preseason polls. No.16 Gonzaga was chosen second with 54 points. The Pilots were selected third, receiving 54 total points, including a single first place vote. The Pilots are returning four of their top-seven runners from last year, including Doyle and other transfer students into the mix.

The 2021 Pilots finished third in both the 2021 WCC Championships and the NCAA West Regional Championships. The Pilots finished 16^th at nationals, being led by Kirk. This was the 22^nd time that the men's team had qualified for the NCAA championships, and the 18^th time that the team placed within the top-20 under head coach Rob Conner.  

The WCC Championships are scheduled for Oct. 28, in Portland, Ore. The Pilots will open their season this Friday, Sept. 2 at the Vikings Rust Buster, starting at 2 P.M.

2022 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
Team – points (first-place votes)
1. BYU - 62 (6)
2. Gonzaga - 54 (2)
3. Portland – 54 (1)
4. Santa Clara - 44
5. Saint Mary's – 35
6. LMU - 25
7. Pepperdine - 22
8. San Francisco - 17
9. San Diego - 11

2022 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Team
Lucas Bons, BYU
Casey Clinger, BYU
Cathal Doyle, Portland
Brandon Garnica, BYU
Yacine Guermali, Gonzaga
Zak Kirk, Portland
Zach Litoff, Santa Clara
Cullen McEachern, Gonzaga
James Mwaura, Gonzaga
Wil Smith, Gonzaga