KING JAMES

With just over two laps left in the national final of the 10,000 meters, James Mwaura was in eighth place in the back of the front pack. In his penultimate race as a Gonzaga Bulldog, the senior made a big kick and shot to first place with 600 meters remaining. Zag fans crept to the edge of their seats and were proud to see the Bulldog logo right in the mix for a national title.

After four years in a GU uniform, Mwaura will go down as one of the greatest runners in program history.

“Wow we got a good one in James Mwaura,” Gonzaga Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Pat Tyson said when signing Mwaura on May 3, 2018. “This kid is the real deal! Many coaches consider James one of the top prospects in the country! He will elevate the men’s and women’s programs at Gonzaga like no other recruit before him. I’ll tell you this, we are not just getting a runner, we are getting a young man who is chasing the American Dream! He told me he wants to get a college degree and make a difference in the world. The Gonzaga environment cultivates that mentality. I’m so pumped to help him chase his dreams.”

Mwaura was born in Kenya, but his family moved to Tacoma when he and his younger sister, Patience, were toddlers. His mother, Sophia, played volleyball and his father, Stephen, played soccer at Kenya Polytechnic University.

James opened his collegiate career winning the Clash of the Inland Northwest on Aug. 31, 2018. Two weeks later, he cruised to another first-place finish in his second race. He would lead the Zags to a ninth-place finish at the Pre-Nationals and the program’s first-ever national ranking in his freshman season. Mwaura became the program’s first-ever West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year following a ninth-place finish at the 2018 WCC Championships.

As a freshman, Mwaura had the best-ever