Women's Cross Country picked first in WCC Preseason Poll

SAN MATEO, Calif. – BYU women’s cross country was the unanimous top selection in the 2021 West Coast Conference Women’s Cross Country Coaches Poll, and six Cougars were named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, the conference announced Thursday.

The Cougars came in at No. 1 in the poll, totaling nine first place points and 81 total. Portland was picked runner-up to BYU, who is the only WCC team to be ranked in the national preseason poll, coming in at No. 1 overall. The Pilots were among teams also receiving votes, with 25. 

BYU led the conference with six athletes named to the Preseason All-WCC Team, as Anna Camp Bennett, Aubrey Frentheway, McKenna Lee Hansen, Anna Martin, Sara Musselman and Whittni Orton were each honored. Gonzaga and San Francisco each had two runners represented to round out the 11 athletes on the team.

Camp-Bennett, Frentheway, Lee Hansen and Musselman were each All-WCC First Team honorees this past 2020-21 spring season. Orton earned First-Team honors in 2019 while Martin was both named 2020-21 Freshman of the Year and to the All-WCC Second Team.

Votes for the preseason honors were cast solely by the conference’s ten head coaches. Coaches could not vote for their own teams or athletes.

This season, the Cougars will look to win their third-straight WCC title and fifth overall. BYU kicks off its season with the Autumn Classic on Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Timpanogos Golf Club. The WCC Championships will be held at Newhall Community Park in Concord, California on Friday, Oct. 29.