SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – After leading the University of San Francisco men's and women's cross country teams during a successful 2022 campaign,
Grace Copeland and
Ed Buck have been selected to the West Coast Conference Cross Country Preseason Teams for the upcoming 2023 season.
Along with individual accolades, the women's program has been selected to finish second in the conference, while the men are slotted to finish fifth in the 2023 WCC Cross Country Coaches Poll.
"We're happy to have Grace and Ed represent the Dons in the conference preseason poll," Head Coach
Tim Riley said. "They both had solid conference races last season, so look for them to be up in the lead pack this year."
Entering her second season of competition, Copeland excelled in 2022, competing in four events while posting two top-20 finishes. Helping guide the Dons to a second-place finish in the WCC Championships, Copeland earned a 15th-place finish with a time of 20:45.5.
Copeland also set a personal best in the 6,000 meters during the NCAA Division I West Regional Championships last season in Seattle, Wash., posting a time of 20:12.1 en route to a solid 47th-place finish out of 249 competitors.
Buck, a staple in the success of the men's program during 2022, returns for his final season of competition with the Dons. Competing in multiple meets a season ago, Buck earned top finishes at the USF Invitational, Riverside Invitational, and Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. During these events, Buck posted career-best times in the 8,000 meters (22:53.7), 10,000 meters (29:28.2), and the five-mile run (24:01.5).
Leading San Francisco during postseason action, Buck earned a 21st-place finish at the WCC Championships with a time of 22:53.7, with the Dons earning a sixth-place team finish.
The full 2032 WCC Men's and Women's Cross Country Coaches Poll and Teams can be viewed below:
2023 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| Place |
Team |
First Place Votes |
Points |
| 1. |
Portland |
5 |
47 |
| 2. |
Gonzaga |
3 |
45 |
| 3. |
Santa Clara |
|
37 |
| 4. |
LMU |
|
31 |
| 5. |
San Francisco |
|
22 |
| 6. |
Saint Mary's |
|
21 |
| 7. |
Pepperdine |
|
14 |
| 8. |
San Diego |
|
7 |
2023 WCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Team
| Name |
Institution |
| Ed Buck |
San Francisco |
| Jonas Gersten |
Portland |
| Riley Moore |
Gonzaga |
| Bradley Peliquin |
Portland |
| Kyle Radosevich |
Gonzaga |
| Nicholas Russell |
Santa Clara |
| Matt Strangio |
Portland |
| Adam Trafecanty |
LMU |
| Ian Twyman |
Santa Clara |
| Wil Smith |
Gonzaga |
2022 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| Place |
Team |
First Place Votes |
Points |
| 1. |
Portland |
4 |
60 |
| 2. |
San Francisco |
3 |
58 |
| 3. |
Gonzaga |
2 |
53 |
| 4. |
Santa Clara |
|
42 |
| 5. |
Saint Mary's |
|
36 |
| 6. |
San Diego |
|
24 |
| 7. |
LMU |
|
22 |
| 8. |
Pepperdine |
|
18 |
| 9. |
Pacific |
|
11 |
2022 WCC Women's Cross Country Preseason Team
| Name |
Institution |
| Alicia Anderson |
Gonzaga |
| Grace Copeland |
San Francisco |
| Kinsey Hall |
Santa Clara |
| Courtney Klatt |
Portland |
| Emma Jenkins |
Portland |
| Rosina Machu |
Gonzaga |
| Mie Nielson |
Portland |
| Laura Pellicoro |
Portland |
| Samantha Stanziano |
Saint Mary's |
| Sadie Tuckwood |
Gonzaga |
For updates and more information on the USF men's and women's cross country programs, be sure to follow @donsxctf on Twitter, @donsxctf on Instagram and @donsxctf on Facebook.
