Cross Country's Crawford Named to Women's All-WCC Preseason Team; Men's Squad Picked Fifth, Women's Seventh
8/27/2026 11:00:00 AM | Cross Country
SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Pepperdine cross country senior Lizzy Crawford was named to the All-WCC Women's Preseason Team as the West Coast Conference announced its annual preseason coaches polls. The Pepperdine men were picked fifth, while the women were selected seventh.
Crawford enjoyed a successful 2025 claiming the team's top finish in all six cross country races. Dating back to her freshman year, she has been the first Wave to cross the finish line in 17 of 19 possible competitions. Crawford paced the Waves with a 33rd-place finish at the 2025 WCC Cross Country Championships. A 10K specialist during the spring, she made history last May as the first female Pepperdine runner at an NCAA Track Regional.
At the 2025 WCC Championships Pepperdine's men earned seventh, while the women finished 12th. Their season later ended in the NCAA West Regional, with no Wave meeting the top-25 finish required to advance to the National Championship.Â
On the men's side, the Waves return a key quartet of Elijah Gentry, Gordy Nilsen, Rowan Nilsen and Dominic Silhol. Gordy Nilsen secured 34th at last season's WCC Championship to pace the Waves, while Gentry (39th), Silhol (47th) and Rowan Nilsen (55th) also helped the Waves to a seventh-place team finish.Â
On the women's side, the Waves return their top three finishers from the 2025 WCC Championship, led by Crawford, Grace Simpson and Jessica Guardino.
With a freshmen class of 14 and top-of-the-standings regulars Gonzaga, Oregon State, and Washington State off to the revamped Pac-12, Coach Floris and Co. will look to shake up the new-look league. Since newcomer Denver does not sponsor cross country, the WCC will feature nine women's squads and eight men's teams.
The team's first test comes Friday, Sept. 4 in the on-campus Waves Invitational. The men begin the season with a 6K at 9 a.m., with the women running a 4K at 9:45 a.m. from Alumni Park.Â
The WCC Championships are set for Oct. 30 in San Diego.Â
2026 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (first-place votes) points
1. Portland (7) 49
2. San Francisco (1) 39
3. Saint Mary's 38
4. Santa Clara 34
5. Pepperdine 24
6. Pacific 18
7. Seattle U 12
8. San Diego 10
Â
2026 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Team
Daniel Abramowicz, San Francisco
Paul Beaven, Santa Clara
Dennis Cheruiyot, Saint Mary's
Leo Conil, San Francisco
Damian Frausto, Saint Mary's
Anthony Giesch, Portland
Herbie Johnson, San Francisco
Joseph O'Connell, Saint Mary's
Liam Papavasiliou, Santa Clara
Cameron Stein, Portland
Jack Tolbert, Santa Clara
2026 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (first-place votes) points
1. Portland (3) 59
2. San Francisco (5) 58
3. Santa Clara 49
4. Saint Mary's (1) 46
5. San Diego 30
6. LMU 26
7. Pepperdine 25
8. Pacific 19
9. Seattle U 12
Â
2026 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Team
Milaina Almonte, Santa Clara
Clare Boneau, San Diego
Anna Buettner, San Francisco
Faustine Chaboche, San Francisco
Lizzy Crawford, Pepperdine
Megan Crum, Portland
Petra Helebrantova, San Francisco
Poppy Martin, San Francisco
Viola Paoletti, Portland
Latham West, Portland
ABOUT PEPPERDINE CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK
The Pepperdine cross country/track program has a rich history dating back to the 1950s with six total individual national championships to come through the program. As one of the original three programs sponsored by then George Pepperdine College in 1937, the Waves immediately began to make a mark on the track world stage with eight total Olympians and multiple regional champions throughout the program's history.Â
Â
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine cross country/track news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineXCTR.
Crawford enjoyed a successful 2025 claiming the team's top finish in all six cross country races. Dating back to her freshman year, she has been the first Wave to cross the finish line in 17 of 19 possible competitions. Crawford paced the Waves with a 33rd-place finish at the 2025 WCC Cross Country Championships. A 10K specialist during the spring, she made history last May as the first female Pepperdine runner at an NCAA Track Regional.
At the 2025 WCC Championships Pepperdine's men earned seventh, while the women finished 12th. Their season later ended in the NCAA West Regional, with no Wave meeting the top-25 finish required to advance to the National Championship.Â
On the men's side, the Waves return a key quartet of Elijah Gentry, Gordy Nilsen, Rowan Nilsen and Dominic Silhol. Gordy Nilsen secured 34th at last season's WCC Championship to pace the Waves, while Gentry (39th), Silhol (47th) and Rowan Nilsen (55th) also helped the Waves to a seventh-place team finish.Â
On the women's side, the Waves return their top three finishers from the 2025 WCC Championship, led by Crawford, Grace Simpson and Jessica Guardino.
With a freshmen class of 14 and top-of-the-standings regulars Gonzaga, Oregon State, and Washington State off to the revamped Pac-12, Coach Floris and Co. will look to shake up the new-look league. Since newcomer Denver does not sponsor cross country, the WCC will feature nine women's squads and eight men's teams.
The team's first test comes Friday, Sept. 4 in the on-campus Waves Invitational. The men begin the season with a 6K at 9 a.m., with the women running a 4K at 9:45 a.m. from Alumni Park.Â
The WCC Championships are set for Oct. 30 in San Diego.Â
2026 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (first-place votes) points
1. Portland (7) 49
2. San Francisco (1) 39
3. Saint Mary's 38
4. Santa Clara 34
5. Pepperdine 24
6. Pacific 18
7. Seattle U 12
8. San Diego 10
Â
2026 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Team
Daniel Abramowicz, San Francisco
Paul Beaven, Santa Clara
Dennis Cheruiyot, Saint Mary's
Leo Conil, San Francisco
Damian Frausto, Saint Mary's
Anthony Giesch, Portland
Herbie Johnson, San Francisco
Joseph O'Connell, Saint Mary's
Liam Papavasiliou, Santa Clara
Cameron Stein, Portland
Jack Tolbert, Santa Clara
2026 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (first-place votes) points
1. Portland (3) 59
2. San Francisco (5) 58
3. Santa Clara 49
4. Saint Mary's (1) 46
5. San Diego 30
6. LMU 26
7. Pepperdine 25
8. Pacific 19
9. Seattle U 12
Â
2026 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Team
Milaina Almonte, Santa Clara
Clare Boneau, San Diego
Anna Buettner, San Francisco
Faustine Chaboche, San Francisco
Lizzy Crawford, Pepperdine
Megan Crum, Portland
Petra Helebrantova, San Francisco
Poppy Martin, San Francisco
Viola Paoletti, Portland
Latham West, Portland
ABOUT PEPPERDINE CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK
The Pepperdine cross country/track program has a rich history dating back to the 1950s with six total individual national championships to come through the program. As one of the original three programs sponsored by then George Pepperdine College in 1937, the Waves immediately began to make a mark on the track world stage with eight total Olympians and multiple regional champions throughout the program's history.Â
Â
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine cross country/track news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineXCTR.
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