Wildcat Men take fourth at Nationals in snowy Spokane All American's Chavez (3rd), Sherrod (19th), Sanchez (34th), Gradone (35th) lead the charge.

By Gary Towne, Chico State head coach Saturday, November 19, 2011

The lead 4 (Including Isaac Chavez) at about 8.5k. Adams’ Matt Bond leads Western’s Penell, while eventual champ Haebe bides his time in fourth.

SPOKANE, WA -- The Chico State Wildcats raced on the same course at this past weekend’s NCAA Championship in Spokane, Washington as they had at the West Regionals two weeks earlier. The only problem was the course was almost completely different than the regional layout we enjoyed earlier in the month. For the second straight year Mother Nature had plans of her own with respect to the NCAA Championships, dumping a good three inches of the white stuff on the already slushy course the night before the race. Another inch fell (for good measure) during the two races. Thankfully the Chico State Wildcats were not deterred by the winter-wonderland setting and the 23 degree temps that came as a part of the package. Just as the ‘Cats had done on snowy courses in Ashland, Ohio in 2002, Slippery Rock, PA in 2008, and Louisville, KY a year ago, the Chico State teams raced brilliantly and enjoyed a great day at the most important meet of the year. Without a doubt it was the 4th place trophy run of the men’s team that garnered much of the attention on the day, but the Chico State women also brought their “A” game while placing a very respectable 7th out of the 24 qualifying teams.

For the men’s program this was their 8th Top-5 NCAA finish in the past 10 years, and the women would garner their 10th straight Top-10 finish. Both teams have so much to be proud of, as each squad added to what is a growing tradition of success at the NCAA level. Now on to the races… Women’s 6,000m Championship: Given the slow footing on the course, it was the plan of both squads to get out fast and to establish positions among the upper portion of the race. Knowing that it’s hard to chase down runners on a slowish course like this, the ‘Cats were willing to get out fast, and hold their positions throughout the best they could. As the gun sounded and the snow continued to fall the Chico women stepped hard on the accelerator and just as planned, found their way into the upper fourth of the field. Leading the charge as she has all season was Alia Gray who was chasing her third All American certificate (2nd for XC) and running well inside the top 25 overall by the kilometer mark. Teammates Amy Schnittger and Katie Spencer ran side by side roughly in the 30’s-40’s overall in the field by the same marker, and Jonah Weeks, Shannon Rich, Paige Henker, and Tiffany Heflin held tight inside the Top 50-60. Alia, who’s been dealing with a long lasting cold that has created a constant cough since CCAA’s, battled hard among the lead packs, but was losing ground on a hoped Top 15-20 finish. Thankfully for the sake of the team’s chances, Alia is too strong NOT to finish a race within the realm of her current fitness. The fifth year senior battled on, eventually trading surges with CCAA runner-up Tiffany Dinh of Pomona. As the race progressed Amy Schnittger and Katie Spencer battled hard, but were losing some places during the middle and late kilometers. At this same time Jonah Weeks, Paige Henker and the always strong Shannon Rich were hammering away at the kilometers one after another. By the 5k mark, our two mini-groups had almost merged and although we didn’t have any real low numbers operating in the front 20-30 like many of the other top teams, we did have a strong pack running in the upper third of the race.

The women’s field at 1k. At least 6 ‘Cats can been seen among the first quarter of the field.

As fans and family scrambled to the finish stretch Alia didn’t look great, but was running strong just inside the all important top-40 (top 40= All American). A solid finishing stretch saw her lose a sprint finish to CCAA foe Dinh, but still finish 38th overall earning her third AA award. Only 28 seconds had slipped from the clock before Chico’s #2 Amy Schnittger hit the tape 52nd overall. An additional 12 seconds was all that was needed for ‘Cats #3,4,5 and 6 to cross the line… as Shannon Rich would finish 53rd, Jonah Weeks (55th), Paige Henker (58th) and Katie Spencer (61st) respectively. The only disappointing outing of the day was by true frosh Tiffany Heflin who struggled in at 117th overall, but of course this was her first NCAA experience. Having had some time to reflect and evaluate the women’s performance I am quite proud of the run they enjoyed in Spokane. At the regional three of our top 6 finished 20th, 21st and 24th. When adding top runners from 7 other regions, this core group all finished in the 50’s at the NCAA meet, which is definitely worth a lot more comparatively. Katie Spencer who was 14th in the regional finished 61st in the NCAA field, which is a fairly equal result. On Saturday Katie was our 6th runner, and our best #6 ever at the NCAA meet. The end result was a 7th place team finish that was a complete team performance. The only

(top 9) team without a finisher among the top-20, we needed the team to run well collectively and they did just that. Men’s 10,000m Championship: Maybe it was the Honey Badger Youtube video that the team enjoyed viewing for comedic relief at camp this summer, or perhaps it was the stinging 2 point regional loss to Alaska… or maybe it was the lack of respect shown on the running message boards in the days leading up to the race. Whatever it was, the Chico State men’s team took this race by the horns from the gun, and the result was a VERY exciting championship run. Donning the same polka dot uniforms that the 2008 team had on a similarly snowy day in PA in 2008, the 2011 version put all their dots among the top 20-25 from the gun. As the lead pack whizzed by at the Kilometer mark I couldn’t help but smile as I recognized nearly 1/3 of the Top-20 runners as our own. Knowing that the guys had plenty of fitness and strength behind them I felt comfortable with the aggressive start, but still took a deep breath as nearly 30 minutes of hard running stood between this group and their goal of finishing among the top 3-4 teams overall. As the race progressed the ‘Cats hung strong, but it became apparent by 5k that the team in control of the race now was Western State. I described Western’s top-5 in my pre-race write up and they are as stout as almost any team I’ve ever detailed at the DII level. 8:44 steepler (as a frosh!) Ryan Haebe and teammate Tyler Pennel (13:55 5k guy) led the race with a pack of nearly 10 following closely (including Chico’s Isaac Chavez). Adrian Sherrod powered in part by a 70th place NCAA run a year ago, battled among the top 20 overall giving up a place here, but gaining another one there.. Dayne Gradone only 17th at the regional looked great running with teammates Joseph Rivera and freshman Johnny Sanchez as the trio operated in the 25-30th positions overall. We would need all of those mentioned to have a solid second half because Anthony Costales was no longer running among the group and was losing spots with each kilometer covered. Teammate Joey Kochlacs who’s had an unexplainable awful training stint since his 12th place regional finish two weeks ago, was even farther back. We had little room for error if we wanted a trophy. Thankfully our five up front made things stick, just as the driving snow was to their faces during the second half of the race. Running the final loops literally with ice and snow gathered on eyebrows, lashes and anything that would hold the white stuff.. the guys battled for places.

Up front the race for the individual title was heating up as a lead pack of 4 developed with Pennell, Habebe, Chavez and Adams’ #1 Matt Bond having broken away from the field. Bond was the first of the 4 to crack, and going into the final 2k loop it was the two Western standouts and Chico’s Isaac Chavez tucked in. Unfortunately the duo kept the pace quick enough to finally break Isaac near the 9k mark. Haebe would go on to take the title, leading his team to a wicked-low 28 point winning total. Isaac would hold on well for third place, becoming the ‘Cats second best performer ever at the NCAA meet behind Scott Bauhs’ 2008 title run, and tying Bauhs’ junior year 3rd place performance. Of course Isaac is just a sophomore and has now finished 5th and 3rd at the meet respectively. Chopping off 50 places from one year’s NCAA run to the next is always a nice achievement and Adrian Sherrod would do just this, by battling well over the final kilometers. His finishing place (19th) made him one of only 12 ‘Cats to have ever posted Top-20 NCAA finishes. Only 17 seconds later freshman Johnny Sanchez would become the ‘Cats #3 with a fine 34th place run, and just .3 seconds back was teammate Dayne Gradone (So) who was also celebrating his first NCAA experience with an All American run. Another NCAA rookie Joseph Rivera would lose a few spots over the final 400m, but still hit the tape 42nd overall, shutting down the Wildcat scoring earlier than ever before at this meet. Knowing the key teams that we were up against, especially Colorado School of the Mines, I was very confident that the guys had at least nabbed a Top-4 trophy, so a cautious celebration ensued on a snowy hillside filled with half naked Wildcat fans and proud parents and supporters. As the results were announced the ‘Cats had indeed finished 4th overall, just 10 points shy of Grand Valley. This was quite an accomplishment, given that the Lakers returned their entire 7 that finished 3rd in last year’s NCAA Championships. In the 2010 NCAA race GVSU had placed 3rd with 135 points. This year GVSU scored 100 and the ‘Cats 110. Looking back at past results, a score of 110 is almost always a Top-3 performance…. In fact this year’s point total for the ‘Cats is the lowest in school history (that includes three 3rd place team finishes). Of course for the second straight year the ‘Cats also re-claimed the title as the best team in the region at the NCAA meet after having lost to Alaska in the regional. Last year a 5 point regional defeat turned into an 80 point NCAA swing the other way. This year a 2 point loss at the regional was turned into a 180 point trouncing at NCAA’s. This was a great run, and what a perfect cross country setting to enjoy it in. Please find results below:

Chico’s lead women climbing one of the hills on the 2k loop. Side-note: U.S. track fans might recognize the features of the Missouri Southern runner (#141) as her brother Matt Tegenkamp is one of the US’ best distance runners.

Within minutes the snow had picked up and here with just over a 1/4 mile to go Amy Schnittger, Shannon Rich, Jonah Weeks and Paige Henker are building to the finish.

In conclusion: It’s been another great season for the Chico State Cross Country program. Another set of Top-10 NCAA performances in the books, Conference titles, and a Ninth NCAA trophy to add to the collection in the office. Thanks to Everyone for their support of these efforts. We had a great number of friends and family who made the trek up to Spokane to cheer and support. We also enjoy great help and support here on campus from Athletics’ Director Anita Barker and even the President of Chico State, Dr. Paul Zingg (who stated his faith in our chances of another trophy via email before our trip to WA). We’re fortunate to have a great support system, and for this we are grateful. Have a wonderful holiday season, and as Dr. Zingg always says, “Run ‘Cats run!” PS: Speaking of support at home. Our Sports Information staff has done a Wonderful job of covering our team each week. Thank You, Luke Reid and Rory Miller for the hours you’ve spent (usually weekends) covering our sport, which we all know doesn’t garner the respect among the media that it’s due.

#286 Glarious Rop (3rd at NCAA’s 2 years ago as a frosh) leads the lead pack through the initial kilometer of racing. Look closely and you’ll see at least 6 ‘Cats running among the top 20 overall.

The 4th place Chico Wildcats within minutes of finishing with Chico’s lowest NCAA score ever. (Left to Right: Anthony Costales, Isaac Chavez, Joey Kochlacs, Dayne Gradone, Adrian Sherrod, Johnny Sanchez, Joseph Rivera)