Arcata, CA -- I'm proud to announce that the Chico State harriers enjoyed another great CCAA Championship day on Saturday. The Chico men would take home their 18th consecutive CCAA banner, while the women would notch their 12th straight, and 16th in 18 years. 16 of the 20 competing Wildcats would earn All-CCAA honors by virtue of their Top-15 finishes, and both teams enjoyed victories by comfortable margins. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came in the women's race, where true frosh Destiny Everett upset pre-race favorite Angelina Ronquillo (4:31/16:55 track PR's) with a blistering kick over the final 50 meters of the race. Please follow along below for re-caps of both runs.
Women's 6k Championship:
Humboldt State would host this year's championships on a very challenging and beautiful layout at Baywood Golf Course in Arcata, CA. Each 2k loop provided athletes with a very steep 100m hill, and another more moderately graded 1/4 mile stretch. After previewing the course the day before, I can say that there were only a few short stretches that were flat. Almost the entire 2k loop was tilted either up or down. This would be a challenging layout for all competitors.
The Chico women would enter the weekend as clear favorites for the title having defeated every team in the conference (minus the hosts) during the regular season. The goal for the Chico women was to keep their usual pack split tight, while fighting to get as many into the top-15 as possible.
As the race began the field was tightly bunched and there was noticeable contact between athletes as they jostled for position. As top CCAA returner Nora Pizzella ran by yours truly at 600m into the run, she was well placed, BUT she kicked off a shoe that had been stepped on by another runner. This wasn't a great development, but thankfully Nora is tough and had a lot of experience managing championship settings.
By the time the field hit the steep hill a third of the way through the second lap, a lead group of 6 had formed, including Chico's Talia Swangler, Destiny Everett, Gracie Dupuis, and Nora Pizzella. Stanislaus' top gal was also attached, as was East Bay's previously mentioned Ronquillo. The remainder of the 'Cats top-8 ran between 10th-20th positions at the same point of the run. Minus a major implosion over the final 3k the 'Cats were well on their way to title #12 in a row.
Thankfully the Chico crew did some great work over the final half of the race. The lead group eventually whittled down to 4 with Chico's Swangler, Everett and Dupuis hanging tough with Ronquillo. Running with a wet sock on one foot, and proper footwear on the other, Pizzella had fallen a few meters off the pace, and Stanislaus' Juarez ran several meters back in 6th. A second group of 'Cats had formed along the way with Haley Boynton, Taylor Lustyan, Carrie McDonough, and Desirae Jones all operating between 10th and 16th positions.
Somewhere over the final loop of the course East Bay's coach gave Ronquillo the green light to run away from the Chico pack. In just a few meters, she did just that, separating herself from the trio of 'Cats in what looked at the time like a race-winning surge. Roommates and true frosh Destiny Everett and Gracie Dupuis attempted to cover the surge in pace, separating themselves from Swangler. Ronquillo had what looked to be a 4-5 second cushion over the Chico frosh as they grinded up the tough 1/4 mile stretch that led to the final 200m sprint. Coming off the final turn Ronquillo's form was faltering and yours truly wondered if she might not have the type of kick that you might expect of a 4:31 1500m runner over the final straight. As the two hit the 100m to-go mark it appeared that Chico's top frosh was indeed running faster than Ronquillo, and just inside of the final 70 meters to the finish Everett made the pass for the eventual title. The East Bay runner had no answer, and Dupuis nearly caught her by the finish. In what was a spectacular finish Destiny Everett became Chico's first true frosh CCAA winner, while her roommate Gracie Dupuis would charge home in 3rd. Swangler (who'd verbally cheered on her teammates at one point) held on nicely for 4th, and Pizzella would give the 'Cats 4 of the top-5 with her fifth-place finish.
Haley Boynton would conclude the 'Cats scoring with a 10th place effort, while Desirae Jones would add to the championship parade with her 12th place run. Two great improvement stories would take the final 2 All CCAA spots as Carrie McDonough and Taylor Bailey (neither of whom was close to making the CCAA line-up a year ago) nabbed 14th and 15th places respectively. By putting 8 in front of every team's #3 the 'Cats would record a very impressive 23 point total on the day. Adding to the day's trophy haul, Carrie McDonough was recognized as the CCAAA Newcomer of the year, while Everett become both the Frosh, and Athlete of the year!
Men's Championship 8k:
As were the women before them, the Chico men were heavy favorites to claim the conference team title. Perhaps the biggest question mark of the race would be whether the 'Cats could keep the individual crown in the family, as a Chico runner had won the CCAA title each year since 2008 when Scott Bauhs won his final CCAA race. Chico's Trad Berti had beaten all of the favorites during the regular season, but yours truly knew that San Marcos' Josh Litwiller would most likely make the race a tough one for the rest of the field.
Action in the early going was pretty intense in the men's race. It was apparent that UCSD and San Marcos were motivated to give the 'Cats all that they could handle. Some elbows were sharpened and apparently words exchanged, but thankfully the 'Cats kept their composure, and let their legs do the talking. By the time the pack hit the steep hill the second time (approaching the 3k mark) a fairly sizeable lead pack was still operating together. UCSD's entire top-5, San Marcos' top-4, and all 10 of Chico's entrants were still in contention.
Just beyond 4k into the run Litwiller and Berti began to pull away from the field, which immediately stretched the front pack. The Chico men did a solid job of maintaining positions as the difficult part of the race began to play out. Matt Herrera looked well, as did teammates Jhavahan Holston and Remington Breeze as the trio ran among the top-5-9 with 3k remaining in the race.
The smile on Litwiller's face with 1 X 2k loop remaining was very telling, and it was evident that Berti would have his hands full in trying to bring home the title. With a half mile remaining Litwiller hit another gear as he began hammering up the final climb on the course. With nothing more left in the tank Berti gave up seconds with each 100m covered. Although the 'Cats would lose the individual title this year I have to say that Joshua Litwiller is a VERY classy competitor and a very deserving champion. Only a sophomore Trad would take second, and certainly has a wonderful upside as he looks ahead. UCSD's top runner Aren Johnson closed well for 3rd, while Stanislaus' true frosh Joseph Macareno (first race of the season!) was the biggest surprise on the day, taking 4th. Only the 'Cats #11-12 runner a year ago, Matt Herrera further solidified his status as a heavy-hitter, with a 5th place finish on Saturday. Jhavahn Holston (6th), Remington Breeze (9th), and Rory Abberton (11th) would conclude the 'Cats scoring on the day. Raymond Lopez (13th), Wyatt Baxter (14th) and Jack Emanuel (15th) would give the Chico men 8 All-CCAA finishers. As had the women, the Wildcat men put their 8 in front of every other teams' 3rd runner. Just missing out on All CCAA were seniors Luis Ortega (17th) and Zachary Chamberlain (18th).
Up Next: Both Chico teams will enter next week's West Regionals as heavy favorites, having defeated all of the top-ranked teams during CCAA and regular season competitions. Of course nothing will be taken for granted as the teams head North to Monmouth, OR hoping to secure regional titles and NCAA berths.
