PULLMAN, Wash. — Tuesday morning on the Palouse marked the official beginning of the 2023 cross country season as the Washington State men's and women's teams each arrived for the start fall camp.
WSU will host its usual pair of early season meets at Colfax Golf Club beginning with the WSU Alumni Open on Fri., Sept. 1, followed by the Cougar Classic Invitational on Fri., Sept. 15. Top performing Cougs then travel to South Bend, Ind., as the season heats up at the Joe Piane Invitational on Sept. 29, before heading to the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Charlottesville, Va., on Sat., Oct. 14.
University Place, Wash., will play host to the Pac-12 Championships yet again — the location was also the championship site for the 2020-21 conference championships — while the NCAA West Regional is slated for Fri., Nov. 10, in Sacramento, Calif.
The Cougars feature a mixture of experience and young talent on the 2023 rosters which are highlighted on the women's side by a quartet of 2022 NCAA West Region qualifiers in juniors Alaina Stone Boggs and
Mevin Jelagat, as well as seniors
Neema Kimtai and
Caroline Jerotich.
Cristina Molteni, a transfer from High Point made her Cougar debut during the 2022-23 indoor track season, bursting onto the scene with WSU indoor top-10 rankings in both the 3,000m (9:26.56, fourth all-time) and 5,000m (16:40.19, fifth all-time). She also cracked the WSU top-10 all-time in the 1,500m (4:23.92, ninth all-time), 5,000m (16:24.13, eighth all-time), and 10,000m (33:33.92, second all-time) during her first outdoor season in crimson on the track.
Washington State men's cross country, a program that has tallied 12 individual conference champions in its history, is led by the upperclassmen trio of
Leif Swanson,
Kelvin Limo, and
Brian Barsaiya. The men's team returns each of its top finishers from a unit that placed seventh at last year's 2022 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships in Riverside, Calif.
For all the latest WSU Track and Field news, photos, and videos, like the team on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/wsucougartrack) or follow on Twitter (@ WSUCougarXCTF) and Instagram (@WSUCougarXCTF).
2023 Washington State Cross Country Schedule
| Date |
Meet Name |
Location |
Host |
| Sept. 1 |
WSU Alumni Open |
Colfax, Wash. |
WSU |
| Sept. 15 |
Cougar Classic Invitational |
Colfax, Wash. |
WSU |
| Sept. 29 |
Joe Piane Invitational |
South Bend, Ind. |
Notre Dame |
| Sept. 30 |
Whitman Invitational |
Walla Walla, Wash. |
Whitman College |
| Oct. 14 |
NCAA Pre-Nationals |
Charlottesville, Va. |
Virginia |
| Oct. 27 |
Pac-12 Championships |
University Place, Wash. |
Pac-12/ Washington |
| Nov. 10 |
NCAA West Regional |
Sacramento, Calif. |
Sacramento St. |
| Nov. 18 |
NCAA Championships |
Charlottesville, Va. |
NCAA/ Virginia |
