SAN BRUNO, Calif. — The Santa Clara University men's cross country team placed three of its runners on the West Coast Conference Preseason Team Thursday, while the conference's coaches picked the Broncos to finish fourth at this year's conference championship.
 
Paul Beaven, Liam Papavasiliou and Jack Tolbert were each named to the WCC Preseason Team. The Broncos received 34 total points in the coaches' poll, only four points behind third-place Saint Mary's (38) and only five behind runner-up San Francisco (39, 1 first-place vote). 35-time WCC champion Portland was a unanimous choice in the poll to win the title again, receiving the maximum seven first-place votes and 49 points.
 
Beaven only competed in two meets for the Broncos last fall, but he capped his season with a top-40 finish at the WCC championship in Spokane, Wash., placing 36th in 24:54.4. He backed that up with a strong track season last spring, competing in six meets. He ran a Santa Clara personal-best 3:57.40 in the 1,500 meters in March and a season-best 14:24.44 in the 5,000 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic in early April.
 
Papavasiliou was one of Santa Clara's top runners all year in 2025-26. He was the team's top finisher at the Bronco Invitational during cross country season, placing 23rd in a career-best 24:32.4 over the 8-kilometer course. He then set a new school record in the 1,500 on the track, running 3:43.82 at Azusa Pacific's Franson Last Chance meet in May. He also posted all-time top-10 program marks in the 800 (5th, 1:51.94) and mile (7th, 4:07.61), with personal records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:37.92) and 5,000 (14:23.33).
 
Jack Tolbert competed in four meets for the Broncos last cross country season, including helping the team score at the NCAA West Region championships at season's end. Then, like Papavasiliou, he turned in a strong track season with multiple Santa Clara top-10 program marks. He ran 1:52.32 in the 800 and 3:45.83 in the 1,500 for for sixth all-time in both events. His 4:05.62 indoor mile was the third-fastest mile ran by a Bronco ever, and his 8:05.24 indoor 3,000 was fourth-best in the record book.
 
The Broncos begin their season on Sept. 4 at the USF Invitational at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The 2026 WCC Championship is set for Oct. 30 in San Diego, with the NCAA West Regional scheduled for Nov. 13 in Sacramento, Calif.