Billings, MT -- Generally when a team enters a championship event, their main competition IS the competition itself. I'm not completely sure that this was the case for athletes competing in single digit temps in Billings, Montana on Saturday. Although the level of competition was high, and there were NCAA berths at stake, a constant 20+ mph wind and a "feels like" temperature near zero had most athletes believing that Mother Nature was just as much a threat to their race as any other runner in the field. Either way, I'm happy to report that the Chico State Wildcats conquered the elements and managed to come home with a victory and a narrow second place finish. For the 22nd straight season Both squads will finish their seasons together at the NCAA Championships. Please read below for some short write-ups on each race.
Men's 10k Championship:
The plan for the Chico men going into the weekend was to run as a pack near the front of the field, but not chase individual glory. With a course that circuited through an open park/soccer complex and a non-stop biting wind, this tactic proved to be valuable as the race would unfold. The basic course outline was a 2.5k rectangular shaped circuit, that offered athletes a nice tailwind stretch, and a driving headwind into the finish/homestretch side. In hind-sight athletes were fortunate that the race wasn't on Friday, as during our course preview the wind blew so hard that it pushed you backward as you made the right turn into the headwind stretch of the race. Saturday's conditions weren't much better, but they were certainly "less bad."
As the men's 10k began it's first of 4 loops (one shortened circuit included) the Wildcat men did a great job of finding themselves among the lead group, but not biting on the leadership duties at the front. The first mile was covered in 4:47 by the leaders and there was no real separation among the long line of men rolling by. One surprise was the obvious presence of Western Washington Universities' men, who were literally taking the entire top-5 places approaching 2k. The only problem for WWU was that the course now turned into the wind, and they were spearheading the drive into it. Although this early leading didn't help their chances of winning the race, they would eventually enjoy a very impressive outcome.
Approaching the mid-way point of the race a group of three had grown impatient of sitting in the pack, and forged to a lead that at it's most grand moment may have reached 30-40m. With most of the bigger names in the field nestled into the main pack (much like a cycling race) no one was willing to put themselves out there, in these unforgiving conditions. Even with the tactical nature of the run, the field was separating, and the 'Cats were the only team with 5 or more runners among the top-20 by mid-way.
During the second half of the race, Anchorage's 13:53 5k guy Cole Nash left the main pack and quickly chased down Biola's Pac West Champ Ben White (passing two fading athletes along the way). Chico's Rory Abberton, Jack Emanuel and Daniel Hernandez now took the lead of the chase group and began splitting the main group into a splintered line of tiring bodies. With teammates Omar Alvarez Hernandez and Braden Mclaughlin just meters behind, and Joshua O'Neill and Cameron Duquette running ahead everyone's fifth runner, the 'Cats appeared to have the race in the bag with a final circuit remaining. With 1 kilometer to go, Abberton caught and passed Biola's leader (briefly moving into 2nd place overall). Shortly after, Simon Fraser's 3:56 miler Charlie Dannatt moved by Abberton while trying to make up the distance to Nash. Using the tailwind to his advantage Dannatt made the catch and attempted to go by, but Nash (a 3:48 1500m guy himself) wasn't willing to let the Canadian standout get away that easily. The battle for the lead at the front, left the hard charging Abberton in the tough position of trying to catch two stars who were working with/against one other. Rory lost very little distance to the pair ahead, even as the trio attacked the headwind finish. As yours' truly watched at the 150m to go mark, it was evident that Dannatt was just toying with Nash over the final meters.. so as Abberton rolled by he was advised to just "cruise it in" as catching Dannatt wasn't going to be in the cards on this day. Jack Emanuel, Omar Alvarez-Hernandez, and Brayden Mclaughlin would take 8th, 10th and 13th, while Daniel Hernandez would close out the 'Cats scoring with a 17th place finish. Two weeks after having placed 17th at CCAA's and missing All Conference honors, Sophomore Joshua O'Neill would find the line 20th overall, while earning his first All Region honors. Senior Cameron Duquette would just miss the same honors by 1 place with his 26th place finish.
With 6 among the All-West Region team, the 'Cats would score 48 points while wining their 17th West Region title in 20 years. Western Washington would take 2nd place (88 points), while Azusa Pacific would take 3rd (111). Senior Jack Emanuel joins a select group of 'Cats while earning his 4th All West Region honor, further cementing himself as one of the best to have worn the uniform.
With the win, the Chico men qualify for their 23rd straight NCAA Championship event, and turn their sights on chasing a trophy in Seattle in 2 weeks. Stay tuned!
Women's 6k Championship:
The Wildcat women went into the regional race ranked 3rd among the field, behind CCAA rival Stan State, and Pac West Champs Biola. With the top-3 advancing to the championships, you might think the goal was to live up to the rankings and move on, but the Chico women were determined to give our rivals from Turlock a good run for their money, and try for the win. Having the insight provided by watching the men's race unfold, our plan was to be relatively aggressive early, grabbing solid positions among the field and then trying to make this stick in the second half, as gaps would form and be difficult to overcome given the wind.
The women executed 99 percent of the race to perfection on this day. With proven post season competitor Marissa D'Atri leading the way (Marissa was 9th in the '21 regional) our top 5 rolled through a 5:45 first mile on the heels of the leaders, and situated well among the lead group. Gracie Dupuis looked full of run, as did Hannah Tiffany, and the Molina twins (Iresh and Della).
During the second mile an elite pack of 7 formed at the front. Stan State's top-3 including defending champ Kaela Dishion (also recent CCAA champ), and 3 Alaska Fairbanks women (most likely feeling right at home in these conditions), and Chico's D'Atri. Following some meters back was a chase pack that included Gracie Dupuis, Hannah Tiffany and the Molina twins.
Over the third mile the front group of seven splintered as two Fairbanks athletes pressed the tempo. Dishion hung strong on their heels, while Marissa ran by herself just ahead of Stan's 2/3 runners and several meters ahead of Fairbanks' #3. Gracie Dupuis continued to roll along operating in the top 10-12 overall just behind Stan's #3.
With just a half mile to go Marissa ran in 4th, but appeared to be closing the gap on Dishion (Stan's #1). Gracie ran in 12th, just a few seconds behind Stan's #3 Kayden Legan. Iresh Molina was next to appear, as she ran a few places ahead of Stan's #4. Twin Della, and Hannah Tiffany ran together, but Tiffany appeared to be quite pale and not in complete control over her tempo (it was learned later that she was struggling with asthma late in the race). Hannah Ryan was the 'Cats 6th on the course running in the 40's and some distance ahead of Stanislaus' #5 Haleigh Humble. It was impossible to count the score, but it appeared to be a very close race for the title. (we didn't know it at the time, but we had what was most likely a 5-10 point lead with less than 1k remaining.
Heading down the finish stretch D'Atri turned on the jets and flew by Dishion, eventually hitting the tape 3rd overall (matching her CCAA place). Gracie out-kicked an athlete in the final meters, but just missed catching Stan's #3 Kayden Legan, while finishing 11th(Matching her CCAA placing as well). Stan's Yahaira Zuniga (18th) had a solid final stretch moving past Iresh Molina, who would finish 21st. Twin Della followed next for the 'Cats in 27th, and Hannah Tiffany became the first fifth finisher (of all teams) with her 31st place regional debut. Now the wait began for Stan's fifth and final scorer. Thankfully Hannah Ryan held on to finish ahead of Stan's fifth, tagging another point to their eventual total. Ten seconds after Ryan crossed the line, Stan's fifth stopped their scoring with a 52nd place run.
The "real time" online scoring was pretty frustrating over the next 10 minutes, listing us as the winners, then a tie, then eventually the correct 91-93 2nd place score. After 6k of hard-nosed racing, the ladies missed the regional title by a narrow 2 point margin. Although it stung (and still stings) it was another nice step for our young women's team. They had given a solid effort and just came up a few points short in the final stretch of the run.
As mentioned previously the second place finish earned the Lady-Cats their 22nd straight trip to to the big dance. We head to Seattle with a goal of getting back into the Top-10, which will most likely take our best effort yet this season.
Next up: Both teams head to Seattle for the NCAA Championships. The men's team has been ranked between 4th and 6th for much of the season, while the women have been in the 12-15 range. We'll hope to match or exceed these numbers if all goes well.
