MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine cross country team has arrived at the postseason.

This Saturday, the Waves will begin the postseason at the Burke Golf Course in Lodi, Calif. for the West Coast Conference Championships. The women's 6-kilometer race starts at 10 a.m. PT, while the men's 8K follows at 11 a.m. Both races and the post-race awards ceremony will be livestreamed on ESPN+; all pertinent links can be found on the cross country team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.

The goal is simple: Improve from last year's standings. During last season's WCC Championships in Malibu, the men's team placed sixth and the women's team placed seventh — the latter of which was the best finish since 2013. Both Pepperdine teams are still searching for their first WCC titles and three Waves have been crowned WCC champions: Kari Baerg (1988), Kim McElhinney (1989) and Rebecca Freebury (1999).

From here, the Waves have one more guaranteed race: The NCAA West Regionals, held in Colfax, Wash. on Nov. 15. Pepperdine has never qualified for the Division I NCAA Cross Country Championships.

THE SEASON SO FAR

Coming off arguably their best race of the year at UC Riverside's Highlander Invitational, the Pepperdine cross country programs look to outperform their preseason expectations this weekend. After being picked eighth on the men's side and ninth on the women's side in the WCC preseason polls, the Waves will toe the line at the Burke Golf Course for the second time this season.

Aside from a few veterans on the women's side — namely Caroline Graham and Eden Mittelsdorf — the Waves have relied on several underclassmen throughout the season. So far, the young team has delivered. Colorado natives Gordy Nilsen and Lizzy Crawford have been the team leaders for the Waves in every race, and both sophomores have run personal-best times this year at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.

For Crawford, there's no such thing as a sophomore slump. As the team's top finisher in the last nine races, Crawford is experiencing one of the most successful careers the women's cross country program has ever seen. Her streak of nine consecutive races as Pepperdine's top finisher is the third largest streak in program history behind Abbey Meck (12 straight races) and Rebecca Freebury (24) — who, coincidentally, is the last Wave to win a WCC individual title. Crawford's fastest 5K time of the season was 18:00.4 at Notre Dame, which is the fifth-fastest time in program history.

Thankfully for Crawford, Pepperdine's varsity runners are all coming off personal-best times to help improve the Waves' pack time. Both Mittelsdorf and Graham are coming off their lifetime-best 6K races two weeks ago at UC Riverside's Highlander Invitational. The veterans have been consistently top-three finishers for the Waves all season, while freshmen Riley Burgess and Grace Simpson have put together promising first-year seasons.

At WCCs last year, Crawford led Pepperdine by covering the 6K Alumni Park course in 22:32.3, which was good for 22nd place. Crawford's finish was the best by a Wave since head coach Lauren Floris (neé Lodge) placed 19th at the 2011 WCC Championships. Only three Waves on this year's travel roster return from 2023.

Making significant improvements from a year ago, Gordy Nilsen has emerged as the men's team's leader and has been the Waves' fastest runner all season. Earlier this season, he ran his 8K personal best of 24:40.1 at Notre Dame for the 12th fastest time in program history, and he's gone sub-25 in the last two 8K races.

In fact, the men's team has been carried by sophomores and freshmen. True freshman Elijah Gentry has been Pepperdine's No. 2 over the last two races; he nearly broke 25 minutes at the Highlander Invitational and ranks 19th all-time at Pepperdine with his 25:00.3 8K time. Sophomores Dominic Silhol and Rowan Nilsen, Gordy's twin brother, are also coming off their fastest times of the season at Riverside.

Silhol and junior Patrick Thomas are the top finishers from the 2023 WCC Championships; the duo placed 28th and 29th, respectively. While five returners from last year's team will toe the line Saturday, only Silhol and Thomas were scoring runners for the Waves last year.

THE FIELD

Historically, the WCC's best teams have hailed from outside the state of California. This year is no exception. The No. 16 Gonzaga women and No. 28 Portland men are expected to defend their conference titles, and both teams are the lone nationally ranked squads heading into this weekend.

Led by legendary head coach Pat Tyson, the Gonzaga women are the team to beat. The defending WCC champions are ranked 16th in the latest USTFCCCA national polls and are aiming for their first NCAA team appearance since 2015.

After becoming the first Gonzaga woman to qualify for NCAAs in outdoor track this past spring, Rosina Machu has picked up right where she left off as one of the fastest women in Division I. The senior from Boise, Idaho looks to defend her WCC title this year. Aside from Machu, the Bulldogs have a slew of talented underclassmen and former Gonzaga soccer player Willow Collins, who ran the program's second-fastest 6K time of 19:36.5 in just her second collegiate cross country race.

Portland remains the WCC's powerhouse on the men's side, as defending champion Matt Strangio and steeplechase All-American Estanis Ruiz lead the 28th-ranked team in the nation. The Pilots have won three smaller, local races this season, plus had a top-15 finish at Nuttycombe and a fifth-place finish at the Bill Dillinger Invitational against several of the nation's top teams. 

Gonzaga will also be a factor in the men's race. All-American and U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier Wil Smith leads a pack of Bulldogs that are ranked fifth in the West Region. All five scoring runners from last year's WCC title-winning squad are back this season.

Conference realignment impacts cross country too. The conversation about the 2024 WCC cross-country field cannot be had without conference newcomer Washington State, which boasts two of the fastest individuals on the men's and women's sides.

The Washington State women boast Zenah Cheptoo, who has quickly become a contender for the WCC title in her first collegiate cross country season. Cheptoo won the WSU Alumni Open and the Cougar Classic to earn WCC Runner of the Week awards to open her season, then the Kenyan placed second at Pre-Nationals to help the Cougars win the "B Race" title. Her lifetime 5K personal best is 15:40.09, which puts her squarely among Division I's fastest female runners. The Cougars received votes in the latest USTFCCCA national rankings and are ranked fifth in the West Region.

On the men's side, WSU will also be a strong contender to challenge Portland. First-year Evans Kurui has won two races, gone sub-23 twice in the 8K distance and took second at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational with a blazing-fast time of 22:24.7. Look for him up front.

THE LAST TIME…

• A Wave won a WCC Women's Cross Country title: 1999, Rebecca Freebury
• A Wave won a WCC Men's Cross Country title: Never
• The Pepperdine women's team won a WCC title: Never (best finish: runners-up in 1988, 1993, 1999)
• The Pepperdine men's team won a WCC title: Never (best finish: 3rd, 1997)
• The Pepperdine women had an all-conference selection: 2010, Chelsea Wishard and Lauren Floris (neé Lodge)
• The Pepperdine men had an all-conference selection: 2017, Nick Heath
• The Pepperdine women had a top-20 finisher: 2011, Lauren Floris (neé Lodge) (19th)
• The Pepperdine men had a top-20 finisher: 2017, Nick Heath (15th)
• A Pepperdine coach was named WCC Coach of the Year: 1999, Dick Kampmann