Saturday September 10. 2005 Dear Chico State Cross Country Supporters, After a summer of hard work and many miles-logged the Chico State men's and women's cross country squads were excited for the opportunity to compete again. This opportunity would come in the form of the UC Irvine Invitational which was held in Huntington Beach's Central Park. Running against teams from all divisions and from across the nation, both Wildcat squads emerged victorious. To cap these great team performances, the Wildcats also swept both individual titles as Katie Lee and Scott Bauhs each won their respective races. ================================================================================ Women's 5,000m Race: Since the women ran first, I'll start with the women's 5,000m race. Going into the women's competition the Chico coaches expected the main competition to be provided by DI Big West foes UC Irvine, and Long Beach State. With a very strong UCSD women's program also present, the stage was set for a nice battle for the 'Cats. The pace was aggressive from the start given the narrow trail that the 200+ runners would need to funnel into before the 1/2 mile mark. The Chico scoring pack established themselves among the top 20-30 overall from the start. Leading the entire field from the gun was Senior Katie Lee a 16:25 5k performer from the track last Spring. Lee, who'd spent the summer logging her miles in the thin air of Truckee, CA with teammates Missy Lendl, Megan Williams, Nancy Cavaletto, and Kellie Stephens, attacked the course with an obvious sense of confidence. By mid-race Katie had broken free from all competitors and would sail to victory. The team race was very much still in the air though as Irvine, Long Beach and UCSD all had scoring runners in the top 20 overall. As the women exited a very challenging hilly loop in the second mile of the race the Chico women had seized control of the team battle. Missy Lendl and Jen James both ran among the top 10 overall and teammates Ciara Harvey and true frosh Julie Shaw were moving up nicely as each had broken into the top 20 runners. With the 'Cats' 6-7 runners (Megan Williams & Lindsay Nelson) working together among the top 40 overall, the team title was now secure. Finishing in a very quick early season time of 17:59 Katie Lee notched a 27 second victory over UCI alum (and 4:23-1500m performer) Kim Ramirez. The remaining Wildcat scorers packed well (all four finished w/in 6 seconds!) with Missy Lendl placing 12th, Jen James 13th, Julie Shaw 14th, and Ciara Harvey 16th. With all five scorers packed among the top 16 overall in a field of 200+ the women's team captured their first team title of the year scoring 48 pts and beating host Irvine's 78. The most pleasant surprise of the day came in the form of Julie Shaw, a true frosh from Redding, CA who passed at least 25-30 runners between the mile mark and the finish. Shaw, who had run 19:36 on the Woodward Park layout while in HS last November notched an 18:53 time, on a course that ran approx. 30 seconds slower than Woodward. She also claimed a number of quality victims from other teams including a 4:43 (1600m) HS performer (Amber Steen), and last year's JC State champ Ludi Valdez. ================================================================================== Men's 7,000m The men's race started much as the women's had just 45 minutes before. The Chico men took control from the gun with Wildcats Pat Boivin, Charlie Serrano and Scott Bauhs all running inside the top 4 by the 1/2 mile mark. Beau Bettinger, Kyle Ivie and Antonio Miramontes each filled top 12 spots by the same point. With UCSB, UC Irvine, and Long Beach all resting top runners from their squads, the Wildcats main competition would be among each other, and the few club athletes who battled for top 10 spots. One exception was Long Beach's Jimmy Grabow who entered the race as the defending champion. Somewhere in the middle miles the lead bike somehow failed to negotiate a turn in the course, and led the entire field off-course, which would eventually lead to the 4.54mi layout vs the original 8,000m advertised edition. Knowing they had veered from the course, but also knowing they shouldn't leave the lead bike, the race leaders guided the chasing pack through a new layout as the lead cyclist figured out how to move the group safely toward the eventual finish. Thankfully the missed turn didn't compromise the eventual outcome as everyone ran the same 4.54mi layout. Getting back to the action.... By mid-race the battle for the individual title had boiled down to Chico's Charlie Serrano and Scott Bauhs, and Long Beach's defending champ Grabow. The trio exchanged surges, each trying to break the other. Finally in the final mile Bauhs' persistence and toughness paid off as he shook the Long Beach standout. In the final meters Serrano managed a well-timed kick that sealed a Chico 1-2 finish. Grabbow held on for third, as Chico's Beau Bettinger gave the 'Cats a third finisher in the top 4 overall. Post collegiate standout Jesse Bloom would take the fourth spot, but Chico would then take the next three places w/ solid runs from Antonio Miramontes, Kyle Ivie, and Pat Boivin, securing a miniscule 20 pt team score. ================================================================================= Both Wildcat Harrier squads will compete next at the Stanford Invitational on September 24. Both are extremely excited for the opportunity to once again compete against some of the nation's best DI, II, and III teams. For those interested in catching the action in Palo Alto the seeded long course races will be at 5:15 and 5:45pm with the women's 6k being run first. A few random tid-bits of info: Both race winners Katie Lee and Scott Bauhs are products of San Ramon Valley High, in Danville, CA. Coach Tim Hunter's alum have accumulated 7 All American certificates between them (Scott is only a soph) and both seem poised to add to this total by season's end. Danny DiMeo, a red shirt frosh, barely made the roster last fall. Through hard work and dedication Danny has earned a spot on the travel squad and ran inside the 'Cat's top 10 on Saturday. Danny is a great story in the making as he continues to work hard and improve. Having spent the night after the race in Visalia the Chico crew awoke on Sunday and drove to Sequoia National Park where the group enjoyed a very scenic long run on the High Sierra Trail. Thanks so much for your support, Sincerely, Gary Towne Head Coach CSU, Chico XC