On paper the races shouldn’t have been close, but the men ran Stanford to a 29-34 final score, while the ladies missed the Cardinal by a mere 3 points (28-31). We’ll start with the men’s race, since it was run first on Saturday.
Men’s 5.1 mile run:
Competing teams in today’s race were Stanford, Davis, Chico, St Mary’s, Simpson U, and CSU Monterey Bay. For some reason the Aggies of Davis only entered 5 men for the meet, and one managed to lose a shoe during the race, leaving them short of a scoring 5. The race at the front was an interesting one with Stanford’s six talented men dictating the pace early. As the runners hit the first of three hilly circuits Simpson College’s Kenyan import Abednego Magut took the lead and quickly put several meters on the field. The main pack which ran at least 15-20 strong for over 2 miles, was content to let Magut attempt to run away from the field. With each loop having a 600m climb, the pack bided their time keeping Magut close enough to eventually catch him. Chico redshirt Scotty Bauhs did much of the work at the front of the chase pack looking quite well but keeping the pace somewhat relaxed. The conservative start by the top Stanford guys and Bauhs allowed Chico’s top-5 to work among the leaders for more than half the race. The two biggest surprises in this pack were RS frosh Manny Mejia and Brendan Scanlon who both were wearing the Chico uniform for the first time in their careers. RS Soph Michael Wickman who was the ‘Cats second finisher in the annual 4 mile time trial was having a rough day as he attempted to run with flu-like symptoms. At 3.5 miles he was pulled from the action by yours truly, saving him from what would have been a Rough final 1.5 miles. With one lap to go, the race had intensified at the front, and the leaders caught the tiring Simpson runner. Heading up the final hill Bauhs claimed the lead, and the race for the title was on. Chico alum Antonio Miramontes last year’s Chico Invit champ had moved up into the lead pack and now ran alongside Stanford’s top runner Justin Marpole-Bird. Also right in the action throughout was Chico’s Tim Tollefson who looked Very smooth and controlled, running in the pack the entire race.
As Bauhs extended his lead on the downhill, the pack behind stretched and what was once a huge lead pack, had now dwindled into a long line of tired runners. As Bauhs hit the bottom of the hill and the 400m to go mark, the race was his and he was able to enjoy the final stretch. Maripole-Bird with 3:45-1500m speed, was able to hold off, Chico alum Miramontes for second and Tim Tollefson hit the tape as the second collegiate finisher, while finishing 4th overall. Oscar Ogwaro a 29minute 10k performer for East LA CC last Spring finished 5th overall just a second ahead of early leader Magut. Stanford’s 2-3 runners hit the tape 7th and 8th overall with Chico’s 2-3 finishing 10th-11th in the field. Angel Marquez’ 14th place finish ended the ‘Cats scoring one place before Stanford’s Jacob Evans ended Stanford’s.
As the dust had settled it was evident that the Cardinal had definitely won the battle today, but it was also evident that the Chico men had given them a good run, breaking up their top-five fairly well. Given the red shirting of Bauhs and the lack of Wickman among the ‘Cats five, this was definitely a solid performance.
Lost in the low scores up front was the amazing quality of depth that the Chico men displayed on Saturday. A 1-17 spread of 1:27 over a tough 5.1 mile course is quite an accomplishment for any team and this is what the Wildcat men were able to pull off on Saturday.
There were many notable performances on Saturday including the impressive debut’s of frosh Manny Mejia and Brendan Scanlon. Senior Tim Tollefson, the final athlete allowed on the roster his frosh year has transformed himself from an average HS runner to someone who can now race among former Foot Locker Finalists, definitely enjoyed a breakthrough performance on Saturday. Isaias Escobedo transferred to Chico from College of the Sequoias between semesters in the ’06-’07 school year, and had a Very tough transition while trying to gain traction in the Chico system. After a Spring of running at the back of the pack in every workout, Escobedo has become a top runner for the ‘Cats and is enjoying the success that patience and hard work provide. Another great story in the making is that of Alan Campos who was the final ‘Cat to make the 30 man roster in 2006. After red shirting his first season and suffering at the back of the pack in most races and workouts, Campos ran among the ‘Cats Top-10 this weekend. Last but not least was the return of team leader Danny DiMeo who hadn’t worn the Chico uniform in nearly two full years due to a string of strange foot injuries. After having a screw surgically placed into his foot and wearing a foot brace for the better part of a year, DiMeo is now back running and working toward his old form. On Saturday DiMeo finished 25th overall and was probably the happiest finisher in the field.
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