CHICO, CA -- I'm incredibly proud to report that your Chico State Wildcats won another pair of CCAA titles this week. Racing in front of hundreds of screaming fans on the familiar layout of Hooker Oak Park in Chico, both squads withstood huge challenges to their respective win streaks by turning away Stanislaus St. (women) and Cal Poly Pomona (men). The culmination of crowd support, incredible racing, and being able to share what we do with our home fans, made Friday one of the most enjoyable coaching experiences that yours truly has taken in.

To make the day even more special both races were won by Wildcats, as Iresh Molina and Mario Giannini (HS teammates at Chico High) each recorded course records en-route to twin victories. Giannini (who won in '24 as well) becomes the 16th Wildcat Champion in 17 years for the men. Molina wins her first CCAA title, after twin Della won the 2024 race. The men's victory was the 23rd straight win for the 'Cats, dating back to 2002. There have been 46 CCAA Cross Country Championship races since 2002 and the 'Cats have won 42 of them!

Before diving into the race breakdowns, I want to thank everyone who helped make Friday such a special day. We had incredible support from our department and campus in general. At one point during the women's race I cheered along-side Dr Perez (Chico's President), and Athletics Director Eric Coleman. Associate AD Brian Ceccon did so much behind the scenes work to organize our race day set up. Assistant Coach extraordinaire Scott Kruetzfeldt did an incredible job of helping organize, set up, and everything in between in the months, days, and hours before and after, and we couldn't have done it without him. Officials (led by Dan Tinnel) and volunteers.. so many folks lent a hand, and because of this help, we were able to offer one of the best championship experiences these athletes could have hoped for. Lastly, I want to thank all of the fans and supporters who made it out to the park on Friday. The turnout was incredible, especially given that we were running on a Friday morning. BOTH local HS's took "Field Trips" to view the action. It goes without saying, but our sport struggles for support and interest. Having SO many screaming fans out on Friday sends a message to local media and others, that we have something special here, and I'm grateful to everyone for creating such an amazing setting for the athletes to enjoy. Onward to the races. . .

Women's 6k Championship: The Chico women went into Friday's race as the "favorite" on paper, but to be completely honest, I felt like it was a toss-up for the title. Stanislaus had won their home invite to begin the year, defeating DI's like CAL, Davis, Sac State, and of course Chico (though we ran without Iresh Molina in uniform). The Warriors then placed 2nd at the UC Riverside Invite losing only to DI USF.. At Riverside their 5-person average for the 6k course was 20:48.. This is an average time that no Chico women's team has accomplished in the history of our program. UCR's course is fast, but Stan has a Very good team this year. Of course the 'Cats have been picking up steam through the season, and the injection of All American Iresh Molina was a huge boost to the Chico women's morale and chances in high powered races.

In our pre-race meeting on the eve of the championship race we talked about how Stan would most likely take the pace out hard, and it would be important to keep them close enough so that large gaps didn't develop, but at the same time, not get drawn out too aggressively. The other main point was that we would need to keep our composure in the second half of the race as things got tough. For those who were there to witness the race, things went pretty much Exactly as scripted.

From the gun Iresh Molina shot to the lead and never looked back. Her quick early start pulled the Stan women out aggressively as the Warriors had 4 in the top 6 at the mile mark. At the 1.1 mile split marker team scores were 25-48-53 with Stan leading, Chico in second and Pomona in 3rd. Although they were down (on the real time scoring) with 2 laps to go, yours truly felt well about the 'Cats chances. They were positioned well and looked good running by.

The second lap scores: 26, 37, 77 with Stan leading, the 'Cats making up some ground, and Pomona sliding a bit. With a lap to go it was obvious that the Chico women had made up some places on Stanislaus and the Chico women (and fans) could sense that a solid last lap could deliver a victory.

Iresh Molina understood that her best chance at a victory would rely on her creating an honest pace throughout. Stan's top runner Annie Wild has run in the 20:20's for 6k this season (faster than Iresh's PB) and is the defending NCAA Indoor Mile Champion (4:39 PR!). Pomona also sent a Very accomplished (and speedy) runner to the line in Vivian Martinez. Vivian recently took 6th overall at the NCAA XC Preview, while competing against #1 ranked Mines, and Adams State (among others of course). Martinez has also run 4:21 for 1500 on the track. Iresh wasn't in the mood for testing her kick against either Wild or Martinez, and kept her foot on the gas and a smile on her face throughout.

Not to be denied a title in her hometown and on the course that she raced on so many times as a Chico HS runner, Iresh cruised to victory with a 21:32 finish time (Note that we hosted CCAA's on this same layout in 2013 and Ayla Granados won that race in 22:10!). Annie Wild would begin Stanislaus' scoring with a runner-up finish (21:39), while Vivian Martinez would take 3rd in 21:45. The next 10 runners across the line would represent the home team, or Stanislaus.. and thankfully for us, the 'Cats had done some big work in the final lap. Rounding the finish turn next after Martinez was Chico's Megan Malloy, (who'd missed the entire '24 season due to a severely rolled ankle sustained at the team's pre-season camp). Following just 1 second back was the CCAA's fastest true frosh on the day.. Paulina Martins, who gave the 'Cats 3 of the first 5 finishers! Martins btw is a product of local Orland HS and has a LOT to look forward to in the coming years. Next in was yet Another Chico Frosh (red shirt) as Kira Forsberg had passed 2 Stanislaus women in the final 200m to grab 6th in her first CCAA championship run. Forsberg who never ran track in HS, (due to her 4 year varsity softball career at Cappuccino HS) would earn the CCAA's Newcomer of the Year award for her efforts. Stan would take spots 7/8 and Sienna Bianchi would seal the deal for the three-peat with her 10th place finish. Roommates (of Bianchi) Olivia Beschorner and Jasmine Fletcher would take 11th and 13th giving the 'Cats 7 All CCAA runners on the day! Scores at the actual finish line: 25, 39, 85 for Chico, Stan, and Pomona.

The mood at the finish of the women's race was electric as everyone had just watched a great come-from-behind victory by the home team. A quick review of the results showed just how much of a battle it was at the front as 12 of the top 13 finishers came from either Chico or Stanislaus.

Earning All CCAA for the Chico women:

1. Iresh Molina (Sr)
4. Megan Malloy (Jr) First All CCAA performance
5. Paulina Martins (Fr) CCAA Freshman of year
6. Kira Forsberg (Fr) CCAA Newcomer of year
9. Sienna Bianchi (Jr) First All CCAA performance
11. Olivia Beschorner (So) First All CCAA performance
13. Jasmine Fletcher (Jr) 2nd All CCAA performance



Men's 8k Championship: As the years have gone by Stanislaus has become a huge conference rival for the Wildcat women's team. Pomona is most definitely that for the Chico men, as the Broncos have finished second behind the 'Cats in most of the 22-year win streak that we took to the line on Friday. In 2024 Pomona red shirted several top runners, saving their final year of eligibility for this fall. A year ago as we nearly perfect scored the CCAA race, we knew that Pomona would come to Chico with a lot of talent and motivation to end the streak and to win their first conference crown since the turn of the century.

The plan for the 'Cats was to get better positioning than we had in Lewis two weeks prior, and then apply pressure in the second half of the race, when things would get difficult. If we could break up the Pomona pack and stretch them, we'd have a chance of winning.

The Chico men did a solid job of executing their race plan, as we had 7 athletes running in a 20 man lead group at the conclusion of the first of four laps. Team scores: 33, 48, 86 for the 'Cats, Pomona, and San Marcos.

The second lap offered much of the same as the lead group had shrunk to 18, but the 'Cats and Broncos each had 7 runners in the mix. Chico held a 32/42 advantage over CPP, BUT only 2 seconds separated first place from 18th, meaning it was anyone's race at the mid-way point. One notable development that was a positive for the 'Cats was that true frosh Jackson Stream (debuting in uniform) was running at the front of the lead pack.

The third loop brought a pressing of the pace at the front from Chico's Damian Garcia and Pomona's top guy Ricardo Vargas, with Mario Giannini just a stride or two behind in third. Vargas has enjoyed a Very strong season taking 5th at Pre-Nat's, beating most of Mines and Adams' teams there. Sergio Cuartas III ran in 4th, and Stream occupied the 6th spot. Team scores with 1 lap remaining: 26-Chico, 32-Pomona, 83-San Marcos.

The final lap was an absolute dog-fight, as several Pomona guys were making big moves, including CCAA 10k champ Tom McDonell who began the final lap outside the top 15, but was motoring by tiring athletes ahead. Defending champ Mario Giannini pressed the pace at the front as he, Vargas, and teammate Damian Garcia had separated from the rest of the field. With Damian's 3:39 1500m speed, I liked our chances for a potential 1-2 finish with a lap to go. Sergio ran among the top 5 overall with a lap to go, but showed the strain of the race on his face. Matthew Gordon was battling with a few Pomona scorers and would factor big-time in the 'Cats chances at taking home another title. True frosh Jackson Stream held on the best he could, but was losing a place or two with each kilometer covered.

Mario Giannini would take the final turn in first, while enjoying a roaring crowd that included his parents, both sets of grandparents, and the entire Chico HS XC team (where he'd prepped himself). Damian delivered a beautiful run when we needed it most while kicking away to second place with arms overhead. Vargas would begin the Bronco's scoring with his 3rd place effort. San Marcos' Alan Jimenez (a 24:00 guy this season) would take 4th and Pomona's #2 Jacob Shirota would cross 5th. Sergio Cuartas III would finish 6th in his first CCAA action, giving the 'Cats half of the top 6 finishers, but Pomona would counter with Juan Ramos in 7th. Matthew Gordon would hit the tape in 8th, but Pomona would take the 10th, 11th, and 12th places. Senior Jesus Villarreal would stop the 'Cats scoring at 13th, narrowly losing a VERY close kick with Pomona's McDonell who seemed to drift in front of Jesus as he attempted to pass in the final meters. True frosh Jackson Stream would finish 14th in 24:54 giving the 'Cats 6 All-CCAA runners on the day.

As the dust settled the home team had held on just enough to collect a 6-point win over Pomona. The 1-2 finish of Giannini and Garcia were certainly a huge part of win #23. The Bronco's had invested so much into this championship, and the 'Cats had found a way to fend them off and get the job done. Without a doubt, a HUGE part of the 'Cats success had to do with the incredibly loud crowd on the course. Hundreds of supporters from all angles of Chico XC were in attendance and helping to create an incredible environment, and thankfully number 23 is in the books.

All CCAA for the 'Cats:

1. Mario Giannini- JR (24:20- Course record by :30) CCAA Champ X 2
2. Damian Garcia- JR, All CCAA XC #2
6. Sergio Cuartas III-SO All CCAA #1, CCAA Newcomer of the Year.
8. Matthew Gordon-JR. All CCAA #2
13. Jesus Villarreal-SR. All CCAA #1
14. Jackson Stream- FR All CCAA, Freshman of the Year

Next Up: NCAA West Region Championships in Monmouth, Or. Saturday Nov. 8. The Wildcats will attempt to punch their tickets to NCAA's, which will be held in Parkside, Wisconsin on Nov. 22nd.