La Jolla, CA - As I write this week's recap I'm sitting atop a large granite rock near the trailhead of the High Sierra Trail in beautiful Sequoia National Park. The team is out enjoying their weekly Sunday long run in one of the most beautiful settings in California, which has become a tradition for our team as we return from San Diego's Triton Invite. Also becoming a tradition are the successful runs by the Wildcats at UCSD's annual home invitational, which serves as the last regular season meet for most of the DII schools in our conference. While we've enjoyed some awesome runs at UCSD in the past, it's hard to imagine a much better day than what the 'Cats enjoyed yesterday. The men's team swept the top 8 places in the 100+ runner field, while the women put 4 in the top 9 while running without #1 (Karlie Garcia) and #6 (Haley Boynton) runners. Both squads collected team wins with several Top-10 regional foes among the fields. Please follow along below for brief recaps of the action.
Men's 8k:
The plan for the top Chico men was to work together near the front of the pack for the first half of the race, before evaluating the race around them, and then pressing home to the finish. Although yours truly wasn't able to dive into the hilly trails of the Eucalyptus grove where the majority of the race played out, I can say that the Chico men controlled the front of the pack the entire run. As the pack climbed the hill leading up to the track area at mid race, the Wildcat men were in clear control of the race and looked completely ready for the final 2 miles of the race.
The final two miles brought clear separation from Chico's main group and any pursuers. The San Diego course's finish stretch begins with one final steeple 30m climb to the track stadium, before competitors hit the tartan surface for a flying final 150m on the track. Cresting the final hill first were Chico's Wyatt Baxter and Eddie King who ran stride for stride as they passed by yours truly with 160 meters remaining. Just a few seconds later Jason intravaia and Teddy Kassa crested the final climb together en-route to a 3-4 finish. The next two cards dealt from the Chico deck were a pair of Jacks, as senior Jack Johnson would lead frosh teammate Jack Emanuel to the finish (5/6 overall). Daniel Harrigan-Cota, Jhavahn Holston and Zach Chamberlain would hit the track in 7,8, and 9th positions, but San Marcos' Steven Terris was catching a big closing gear that would propel him past Chamberlain, but short of ruining a 1-8 finish for the Wildcats. Chamberlain's 10th place finish would give the 'Cats 9 of the 10 individual award spots that would be presented at the post race ceremony.
The 'Cats would top an already impressive day with several more top-20 finishes, once again highlighting the depth of the squad.
In comparing the 2018 'Cats results to past years on the same course, a lot of positives can be taken away. In 2013 the Chico men hogged the top 6 places at Triton with the pack running between 25:40-26:00. Two weeks later the same team would sweep the top 6 places at the CCAA Championships. This year's 8 Chico men packed in between 25:34-25:46 with 9th and 10th runners also eclipsing the 26 minute threshold. Although there are no guarantees in sport, the Wildcat men will go into next week's CCAA race as Heavy favorites to win their 17th straight conference crown.
Women's 6k: :
With the Wildcat women running without usual #1 and #6 runners, and having 5 of the Top-10 ranked teams in the region present, it was known that Saturday's run would not be an easy race to win. The plan for the women was to do a good job of positioning early in the race without making any drastic pace commitments, and then welcoming the difficult second half of the run. It was hoped that this would allow the team's strength to shine through while hopefully sorting out the team score in the later stages.
The race would go exactly according to this plan as the 'Cats pack were well positioned entering the forested area, but not completely selling themselves for early positioning. Despite being under the weather (as much of our women's team is currently) Sophomore Alex Tucker did a masterful job of picking runners off in the second half, while leading the Chico charge. Following very close behind and enjoying running in her hometown was Kayden Carpenter, who had moved into a top-10 spot by mid-race. Nora Pizzella loves hills, and Saturday she was in her element on the challenging Triton layout. A strong second half saw the Nevada City native move into a top 10 position along with Tucker and Carpenter.
Desirae Jones has enjoyed a breakout season to date and Saturday was her best run yet. The Simi Valley High product looked very well over the challenging course while eventually earning her first collegiate Top-10 finish. With our usual 4 scorers across the line among the top-10 the 'Cats had a clear advantage on the field. Now it would be up to one of our emerging athletes to step in and seal the 'W' for the Chico women. That runner would come in the form of true frosh Nadine Dubon, who looked great hitting the track among the Top-20 overall. A fine finish stretch by the Vista Murrieta high grad would seal the eventual 30 point victory for the 'Cats.
In looking back at past results the 2018 women's marks look quite promising. In 2013 Chico athletes Ayla Granados and Sara Mikesell would finish 1-2 at the Triton invite running 22:06/22:30 marks two weeks before placing 1-2 overall in the CCAA Championships. This year's Chico group ran 22:21, 22:28, 22:31 and 22:44 without Karlie Garcia and Haley Boynton. The 2013 team (who would go on to win the CCAA title two weeks later) ran a team average 22:44 at Triton, while the 2018 crew would average 22:39 over the same layout. All signs look promising for the Wildcat women who will attempt to win their 11th straight CCAA title next weekend in San Bernardino.
Next Up: CCAA Championships Saturday Nov. 3 @ Cal State San Bernardino (Campus Course)
