MALIBU, Calif.-- Senior Jason Witt used a late surge to take first overall Saturday and lead a dominating team performance in Malibu, Calif., giving No. 5 BYU cross country its second West Coast Conference Championship in three years.

“It was a nice overall team performance,” head coach Ed Eyestone said. “We had five of our guys in front of their (Portland’s) third. Spencer (Gardner) had a nice run to be our fifth man and seal it for us. I knew that he (Witt) and (Tylor) Thatcher had a good chance to win.  It looked like Witt might have been content to finish third at the end, but he found another gear that last 400 meters to take first.”

Witt held the lead for much of the race, but was passed by San Francisco’s Eric Causey and Portland’s Scott Fauble on the final lap. Fauble opened up a sizeable lead, but Witt’s late sprint to finish came just in time to take the lead and the victory.

“I didn’t feel like I was slowing down,” Witt said. “I saw them getting out to a lead, I just wanted to save my energy for the last 400 meters and give myself a chance. My highest goals were to be top 10 at Wisconsin, to win this meet, and to be an All-American at nationals. I have taken care of two of those, now I just need to do well at nationals.“

The Cougars finished with 30 points. No. 6 Portland finished with 48 points to come in second place and Loyola Marymount had 110 to finish third.

Steve Flint, Tylor Thatcher and Thomas Gruenewald finished in fifth, sixth, and seventh place, respectively, and as the second through fourth team finishers for the Cougars. Spencer Gardner was the last scoring runner for BYU, placing 11th overall.

The full results of the WCC Championship meet can be seen here.

The Cougars will compete next at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships on Nov. 15 in Ogden, Utah and will hope to qualify to go to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. 

MALIBU, Calif.—No. 5 BYU men’s cross country is seeking its second West Coast Conference championship in three years as the Cougars travel to Malibu, Calif., to compete in the conference championship meet Saturday.

“We expect a hard fought meet,” head coach Ed Eyestone said. “Last year it was back and forth and we know it will be tough again this year.”

The Cougars are led by All-American Tylor Thatcher and 2012 All-WCC selection Jason Witt, the top finisher for BYU at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational. Jonathan Nelson has scored in every race this season and is expected to contribute. Aaron Fletcher, Thomas Gruenewald, Steve Flint and Spencer Gardner all figure to be in the mix for scoring spots as well.

“I think if we run our best race, we can win,” Eyestone said. “As long as we do our job things will turn out well for us. We need strong performances on top, and I think Thatcher and Witt are ready to go.”

BYU and the No. 6 Portland Pilots figure to be the top contenders in this year’s championships. The two teams have met twice already this year, on Sep. 14 at the BYU Autumn Classic and Oct. 19 at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational. The Cougars narrowly beat the Pilots on both occasions. 

The Cougars have had great success at the conference level, winning conference titles in 10 of the last 14 years, including nine in 12 years in the Mountain West Conference.

The WCC Championships will be broadcast live on the WCC YouTube page and on WCCsports.com. The WCC has released a digital program for the championships that can be found here. 

After the conference meet, the Cougars will head to Ogden, Utah for the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships on Nov. 15 where they’ll hope to qualify for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.