As I drove the team van south-bound down Hwy 99 toward Turlock (site of this year's NCAA Championships) my mind drifted from the pouring rain blasting the windshield to the weekend that lie ahead. I wondered to myself, what the weekend would have to offer. Would school records fall? Would anyone achieve All American goals? Would we have an NCAA Champion? You never know, so the thoughts of such turned my mind from the trails of Bend, OR (where I'd just enjoyed a mini vacation with my wife and friends) to a track in Turlock, where memories would soon be crafted... Having had some time to reflect on this year's NCAA meet, I'm excited to report that it was another successful final meet for the Chico State distance crew. Three of the five 'Cats returned with All American honors and a fourth shattered our school record for the 10k event, but was a victim of sorts to the fastest 10k field ever assembled in DII. Overall it was another great final meet for the 'Cats. Below I'll do my best to describe the action.

Thursday-Day 1 NCAA Championships

1500m Prelim: Senior Kara Lubieniecki looked great while nailing down one of the 4 automatic qualifying spots into Saturday's final. Her time (4:29) was fairly swift for a qualifying effort, but she looked very much within herself while running one of the fastest 1500's in our school's history.

Women's 10,000m: In my pre-meet write-up I spoke of how tough DII distance running has become and that this year's 10k field was the best ever assembled at an NCAA meet. Having witnessed the race and analyzed the times, I can confirm that my pre-race words were indeed spot-on.

Despite the cold and blustery conditions that greeted the women's 25 lappers, the early pace was blistering. Western Washington's Sarah Porter (33:30's PR/15:50's 5k) took the front as she usually does, and started ripping sub 80 second laps, one after another. Only Adams State 34:00 gal Kristen McGlynn a DI transfer from Baylor would attempt to roll with the uber-fit Porter who logs up to 120 miles a week in training. A very large chase pack also hammered through early splits in the 79-82 range, with Chico's Tori Tyler and Alia Gray tucked into the back of this group. Both Chico athletes had the goal of finishing among the Top-8, and given that there were 8-9 in this chase group plus the pair up ahead.. the decision to roll out at a quicker than wished pace was made by Gray and Tyler. Despite running in 10-11th places through 1600m, Gray and Tyler split a blistering 5:22! The next lap was run in 80 seconds (16:40 pace for 5k!) which was followed by an 82 and 81 second revolutions. Given that the pace through 2k was faster than Alia or Tori had run for the 5k distance this year, both allowed the pack to drift away, which meant the following 15 laps would have to be covered solo or with one or two others around. Both Chico runners hit 3200m in 10:51 (16:58-5k Pace!!) and they ran outside of the top-8 in a small pack of three.

Unfortunately the quick early pace took it's toll on Tori as she started to fall from the small pack, leaving Alia to work together with a runner I can't remember. The remainder of Tori's race was a test of her toughness and patience, as the numerous time All American had 10+ tough laps ahead to dwell on what was a tough ending to her college running career. To her credit Tori raced hard to the finish and didn't give up.

 

Alia worked hard to keep the laps in the low 80's in an attempt to keep close enough to hopefully pick off some of the runners that were sure to fall from the large chase pack ahead. Alia hit the metric 3 mile in 16:29 and the 5k split in 17:11 (her second fastest 5k ever!) and she ran well behind the final All American spot! Running the next 2k alone, clicking off 84's and a few 85's Alia was handed a small piece of mid race good fortune. Ferris State's Christina Muir (a many time All American in XC and track) had been running a well-calculated race and somehow had managed to bridge the huge gap up to Alia Gray. As Muir made her way up to and around Alia, the Junior from Chico matched her rhythm and went along for a ride. Alia's next lap (on the heels of Muir) was an 82, as were the next 3. In almost no time Muir had pulled Alia up to the heels of a pair of International standouts (Tina Yi-Edinboro via Bejing, China) and Ruth Keino (Alaska Anchorage via Kenya). Yi and Keino represented 7th and 8th places and now with Alia and Muir joining the group, the dynamics had changed in a big way in this chase for the final All American spots.

Muir, who resembled a human metronome covering laps in 82 seconds one after another, quickly dispatched this group in search of her next victims. The big surge up to Yi and Keino (and the wicked pace in general) took it's toll on Gray, who fought just to stay with the pair from Edinboro and Alaska. With Muir well on her way to a top 5-6 finish it appeared that this talented trio would have to battle for the final All American spot. Yi was the first to crack as she fell from the pace with 3-4 laps remaining. Keino who finished 7th at this fall's NCAA Championships has 1500 and 5k Pr's of 4:34 and 16:38. On paper Alia's chances of beating the talented Kenyan didn't look great, but then again Gray has proven time and time again that she's a great championship racer.

In the penultimate lap Alia lost a few strides and precious seconds on Keino and a ninth place finish seemed imminent. At the bell Gray shifted gears and appeared to be making up some of the gap between she and Keino. On the backstretch Gray was able to latch onto Keino's heels and now we had an inner-regional battle for the final All American certificate. Off the final turn Alia went "all in" shifting into a final gear as she had done on the same turn in kicking to the CCAA 5k title several weeks before. Much to the disappointment of the screaming Chico fans, Keino had a response and the two sprinted down the final straight, neither allowing the other to get away. In the final 50 meters a slight gap was formed by Keino and the difference was never made up. Keino would hit the tape 8th overall in 34:30 with Gray crossing just a fraction of a second behind in 9th. Yi would cross in 10th at 34:41.

Disappointment from not repeating her All American performance of 2009 was quickly trumped by the reality of the accomplishment that Alia had just completed. Her 34:31 was a 50 second PR and broke the school record. Having had more time to collect my thoughts and some statistics I'll share some impressive facts that highlight this amazing race.

· Alia's 34:31 time would have WON each of the past 9 NCAA Championship 10k finals
· Only 3 NCAA Champs had even broken 35minutes in the 9 years before this in an NCAA DII 10k final.
· 8 of the top 9 women in this year's 10k final broke their school records for the event.
· Alia's 5k splits (17:11/17:19) were both faster than her PR for the 5k coming into this season!

It's clear that this was a special race and Alia ran a gutsy effort while becoming the fastest 10k runner in our school's history.

 
Men's 10,000m: Red Shirt frosh Isaac Chavez would toe the line in the fastest NCAA 10k field ever assembled (5-6 sub 30 guys DIDN'T make the field this year!) in search of a Top-5 finish. Isaac's seed time ranked him 6th, but it had been since his 29:30 qualifier at Stanford earlier in the season that Isaac had enjoyed a race that we would consider in the ballpark of his potential. Constant allergies had taken their toll on the youngster, but recent workouts had indicated that his body was back on track and ready for the NCAA 10k final.

Before going into detail about Isaac's race I feel like it would help to paint a quick picture of the big players in the 10k field this year. Topping this list is Kenyan standout Amos Sang (Abilene Christian) who won both 5k and 10k titles in 2010 and set a swift 28:20 PR at this spring's Payton Jordan Invite. Ranked second was Dustin Emerick a junior from Southern Indiana who ran to a HUGE PR at the Mt Sac meet this year (28:41). Kenyan Glarius Rop of American International had placed 3rd at the NCAA XC meet as a frosh two years ago, and finished 3rd in last year's NCAA 10k final. Finally Luke Cragg a 27 year old Super Senior from Adams State checked in as the #4 seed on paper. Cragg's 29:11 PR is impressive, but his 13:41 run at this Spring's Mt Sac 5k showed even more promise. The field then consisted of an additional 14 athletes who had all run between 29:27 and 29:56 to qualify for the championship final (Including Isaac of course).

Given the dynamics involved, a plan of allowing the big Four to do whatever they were to do early, and to cover the moves of the main pack was hatched. In the early going the race went exactly according to plan. Sang seized an early lead with a 2:13 opening 800m split, and the next three seeds (Rop/Emmerick and Cragg) were game for the aggressive early pace. With the quartet up front battling for the individual title Isaac settled in nicely in 7th place (3rd in the chase pack) rolling through early splits of 67, 71, 71, and 69 (4:39).

Looking exceptionally smooth passing 3200m in 9:27 it became apparent that Isaac was getting itchy to try to catch the guys ahead, who now ran the better part of 100m clear of the chase pack. Given the windy conditions and the # of laps ahead, Isaac was encouraged to bide his time and be patient, which he did, hitting 5k in 14:49. Midway through the 4th mile Isaac pulled even with Central Missouri's Kenyan ace Laban Sialo almost as if to size him up, then in the matter of 50 meters, threw in a surge that left Sialo and the rest of the field vying for the remaining spots. Isaac was now in the chase for those ahead and thoughts of what was going on behind were clearly not weighing on the hungry young frosh.

Isaac's move was well timed, as Sang and Rop had surged their way clear of Cragg and Emmerick who now ran alone in 3rd and 4th positions. Isaac's surge translated into a 68 second 400m split, which was followed by another sub 70 revolution. This quick late race 800m split left him on the heels of Emmerick who appeared to be victim #1 for Chavez. Playing his cards perfectly, Isaac worked off Emmerick's heels for around 400m before making a hard move past the struggling 28:41 guy. Now the sights were set on Cragg who appeared to be as vulnerable as Emmerick had.

With around 1k to go, Issac caught Cragg who immediately moved into lane 2 encouraging Isaac to move past and lead him. The remaining 800m became a match race for third between the frosh from Chico and the 7th year student from Adams State. Not wanting to slow the pace so much to allow the chasers to catch them, Isaac kept the tempo solid, but made sure at the same time to save energy for what would surely have to be a fast final 400m to hopefully defeat the 13:41 speed of Cragg.

The Adams senior swung around Chavez with 300m remaining, and Isaac matched the quickening pace. Down the backstretch they ran with Cragg taking small peeks behind to see if Chavez was still in tow. As they entered the final turn Isaac bided his time feeling confident in his final kick, a tactic which ironically put him past an Adams State runner in the final meters of the NCAA XC championships last fall. Cragg's constant looking back reminded one of how track cyclists keep a close eye on their opponents in the final meters leading up to a final sprint. All of the posturing and tactics couldn't help Cragg's chances against the superior finishing kick that Chavez possesses, as they both hit the straight and turned on the jets. The final 100m was a thing of beauty as Isaac extended what is already a deceivingly long stride and increased his turnover. The product was an instant gap between he and Cragg and an eventual 3rd place finish (63 second final lap!).

Despite running a tactical race Isaac somehow managed to score a 2 second PR, while running 14:49 and 14:39 5k splits. With his third place Isaac was the first American finisher, as Chico's Jimmy Elam was a year ago in the same final. Perhaps the only disappointing part of Isaac's weekend was having to watch the 5k (run two days later) , which was won by none other than Luke Cragg. Next year should be interesting as Isaac appears to be ready to take the next step with racing, which will most likely include going out with the leaders and challenging for NCAA titles.

 

Friday-Day 2 NCAA Championships

Men's 800m Prelims Clinton Hayes entered the weekend as the 10 seed but was determined to make the final and earn his first All American Certificate. Running in cool and windy conditions, Clinton positioned himself at mid pack and was nearly tripped by a runner who cut directly into his lead foot at 250m. Thankfully Clinton regained his balance and composure and moved into position off the leaders' shoulder as the pack rolled through the bell in 54 seconds and change.

In the second lap Clinton moved into a clear 2nd position going into the final turn. With 2 automatically qualifying for the final from every heat, and the next two best times between three heats qualifying, Clinton was shooting for that second spot. Running down the final stretch Clinton started to tie up and a hard charging Corey DeLaCruz pulled even and passed him. Clinton held on for 3rd place and now had to hope that his time beat the 3rd place times from the previous two heats.

Indeed this would be the case as Clinton's 1:51.5 (seasonal best) was the fastest non Auto Q mark, which guaranteed him placement in the 8-man final. Assuming he finished the final without any type of violation, he would earn All American. A very happy Hayes shared his accomplishment with his parents and friends after the race.

Saturday-Day 3 NCAA Championships

Note: All NCAA Finals on Saturday were run in LESS than ideal conditions. Rain fell for much of the evening and the winds were driving hard from the North. Not the "California" experience that the out of state folks were looking for, but right on par with what our "spring" weather has been this year.

Women's 1500m Final: Going into the women's 1500m Final I really liked Kara Lubieniecki's chances for placing in the Top-3 and perhaps even vying for an NCAA title. A year ago the relatively new-to-the 1500m event, ran to a fifth place finish in the NCAA 15 final. This year Kara had improved her PR and our school's record in the recent Payton Jordan meet, and workouts have gone exceptionally well in the final weeks of preparations. With all of the top 9 seeds sandwiched between 4:26 and 4:29 on the pre-meet form charts.. this was a wide open race that any number of the top seeds could challenge for.

With the winds pushing hard from the North, and the rain falling the pace was fairly honest, but it was obvious that this wouldn't be an evening for PR's. As she has become accustomed to doing, Kara (5ft tall) tucked in among the "giants" around her and bided her time for when the real racing began. In the early going Kara ran near the back of the 12 person pack, content with a spot on the rail and staying out of the windy backstretch. As runners moved out to get around others on the homestretch, Kara moved up nicely on the rail gaining several positions in each lap. By 800m, Kara had moved up into the top 5-6 with a series of mini-moves.

As Kara ran by with 600m to go, her face showed more strain than I'd expected and it began to show, as she relinquished places over the next several hundred meters. With her race unraveling to some degree over the final 400m, it looked as though Kara might not even finish among the top-8. Although not looking well as she went by with 200m to go (running in 10th place) Kara rallied down the final straight passing several runners while hitting the tape 7th overall.

Although it wasn't one of her best races, Kara showed a lot of toughness on a day where he legs just didn't appear to be completely under her. Given that she entered the meet ranked 6th, and only finished 2 seconds behind Norwegian Champ-Runa Falch (Augustana) Kara had a lot to be proud of as she stepped off the track.

Men's 800m Final: The weather deteriorated to perhaps their absolute worst for the evening as the 800m runners were greeted with pouring rain and hard winds as they lined up for their race. The plan for Clinton was to run among the leaders and to be in a position with 200m remaining to kick to a hopeful Top 3 finish.

As the gun sounded Hayes established himself among the pack and tucked into the pack as they pressed into windy backstretch. Rolling off the turn and down the straight toward the bell Hayes appeared to be tentative in following the pack closely, which was a bit worrisome given that the leaders wouldn't be caught if he wasn't with them at the 600m mark. Hitting the bell in 54 and on the heels of the 5th place runner Hayes maintained contact until the 500mark, when he allowed the pack to creep further away.

Now fighting the wind himself, Clinton could only hope to maintain his 6th place position. As the pack of five fought for the title down the homestretch, Clinton kept things together just enough to hold off the hard charging Brian Kluge of Missouri S&T. Although we'd hoped for a higher finish, Clinton had reason to be pleased, having finished 4 places higher than his seed coming into the weekend, and of course he was now an All American.

Women's 5,000m: Kara Lubieniecki toed the line ready to bring everything that she could in the women's 5k, but also knowing that finishing among the top-8 would be a tough nut to crack. Given that we'd steered her late season training more toward the 1500 distance in hopes of challenging for an NCAA title, and given that her legs hadn't responded so well to the 1500 final earlier, Kara did her best to rally her confidence and energy for the 12 lapper.

The initial pace was reasonable, hovering around 80 seconds per lap as sub 16 gals Neeley Spence and Sarah Porter appeared content to let the pace dawdle (by their standards). Soon enough the tempo picked up, and as it did, Kara did a great job of marking the 8th position, or at least the pack that contained this placing. Hitting 3200m at around 10:50 Kara was barely holding on to the pack. In the ensuing lap reality seemed to outweigh will and the lone Chico athlete in the field began to relinquish valuable meters to the pack. The final laps weren't exactly how anyone might script their final time running in the Chico uniform but the determination and fight never waned. Kara would finish the 5k in 17th place with a 17:19 time.


 
 
   Three of our five competing NCAA qualifiers enjoyed their final runs in the Chico uniform this weekend. I'll list some of their accomplishments below. This is a very decorated group!

Clinton Hayes
2 time NCAA qualifier at 800m, 1:50.8 PR-800m/3:52-1500m, 4 time All CCAA-800m, All American (6th in '11 800m final)

Tori Tyler:
3 time All American- 1 X Track, 2 X XC, NCAA West Region Runner-up XC, First sub 35 10k runner in CSUC History, 16:29 5k ranks #2 on CSUC All Time list, CCAA 5k Champion '10, CCAA 10k Champion '09, NCAA track qualifier '09, '10, '11

Kara Lubieniecki:
4 time All American 2 x XC, 2 x Track, CCAA Champion 2010 XC, 2 x CCAA 1500m Champion, 1500m School Record Holder- 4:27.68, 16th at NCAA XC Champs-Fall '10, 4 time NCAA XC participant, 3 time NCAA Track Qualifier, 3 X All West Region XC, CSUC Scholar Athlete of Year '09-'10, CSUC Female Athlete of Year '10-'11

All three received their diplomas spring as well! Congratulations Clinton, Tori and Kara.

        
Thank you for your support this school year and for reading through our write-ups. It's been another wonderful year of competition. Stay tuned for one last track update as 6 of our freshman men have qualified for the upcoming USATF Jr. National Championships to be held in Eugene, OR this June 23-25th. More info to come on this talented group of young 'Cats and their upcoming competition.