I'm happy to announce that the Chico State men's and women's teams have each defended their CCAA team titles. So many amazing performances in all areas were key to the two titles, and both championships were up in the air until the final announcements were made following the 4 X 4's. It was an amazingly dramatic weekend of action and I'm proud to say that the Chico Distance crew provided some great impetus toward both banners. I wish I had more time to describe the action outside of our realm, like Aimee Rogers' school record 400m hurdle run, and the amazing running of John Tyler Brunk in the 400m, but I'll stick with what I know best and with what I have time for. Before I go into describing the action, I'll list a few random tid-bits that come to mind after the weekend.

* The men's team has now won 9 CCAA titles in a row. Couple this with XC's 10 and we've taken 19 of the past 20 CCAA team titles between the two sports!
* The women's team won their 3rd straight CCAA team title.
* Wildcats won both 10k's, both 5k's and both steeplechases this weekend.
* Alia Gray won her second straight CCAA 5k title
* Anthony Costales won his second straight 5k title
* Walk-On Alfonso Cisneros won his first CCAA title (10k)
* RS frosh Jessica Varela won her first CCAA title (10k)
* Wildcat men swept the podium in the 10k
* A Chico runner has now won the men's steeple in 9 of the past 10 years
* A Chico runner has now won the men's 5k in each of the past 11 years.
* A Chico runner has now won the women's 5k in 7 of the past 10 years.


Now on to the races!

Friday Night: Women’s 10,000m Final: The 'Cats would send 4 10k'ers to the line for what would be one of the more competitive CCAA 10k fields ever assembled. After a painfully slow paced '11 CCAA run on a windy night in Turlock, the plan for the 'Cats was to help create a more honest pace this year, in hopes of weeding out some of those with lesser credentials or current fitness, a bit earlier in the run. Cal State LA's talented duo of Maritza Hernandez (Defending CCAA 10k Champ) and teammate Sabrina Lopez (CA HS State XC Champ) beat the 'Cats to the punch though, as the pair seized the lead and by the second lap clipped off a swift 82 second revolution. Almost immediately a 17 woman field had split into 3-4 subgroups. Trailing the LA pair was Chico's RS Frosh Jessica Varela a RS Frosh from Trabucco Hills HS, and Jonah Weeks a Junior who was running in only her second race of the 2012 season after recovering from an early season injury. While Varela and Weeks held on tight to a quick early pace, Sophomore Sara Mikesell sat at the back of the second group that trailed the front by 20-30m. Just past 2k Miksell made a move around her group and managed to catch and settle into the lead group.

Heading into the third mile Chico had three runners among a 6-7-person lead pack (Varela, Mikesell and Weeks). The rest of the pack was comprised of the LA duo (Hernandez and Lopez), UCSD's Chia Chang (5th at CCAA XC), and Stanislaus' Katie Timmermans. The LA pair controlled the front through a 5k split of 18:30 and into the fourth mile. During the fourth though, Lopez cracked and slid to the back of the group, (which had already dispatched Timmermans). Now the lead group was down to the Chico trio, Hernandez, and Chang.

Given how tough Hernandez was a year ago while winning this race, it was somewhat surprising to see her crack next. As she drifted to the back of the dwindling group, the 'Cats seized the front and kept the pace as honest as possible given the tired legs. Now it was teammates Weeks, Varela and Mikesell of Chico and UCSD's studette Chia Chang (who came in as only the 11th seed). As the 'Cats rounded the track and passed lapped runners, Chang looked to be running within herself still. This would be an interesting finish!

With 800m remaining Chico's Varela took the fore and notched the pace down to a solid 85 second clip. The quicker lap dropped Mikesell and gapped Weeks, but Chang hung tough on Varela's heels. At the bell Chang appeared ready to pounce, and indeed she would take the front from 400m out. Having watched my share of close cycling races, where someone invariably always seems to start their sprint too early, only to be trailed and outkicked in the final meters, I held out hope that Chang would lead out Varela in this dual on the oval. Running like a seasoned vet, Varela matched the tempo of Chang and hung tough as the two ran down the backstretch toward the final turn. As the two entered the final turn, Varela tried to become the final leader of the race, and she went "all in" with a blast of speed. Chang matched her stride until the pair hit the final straight, but Varela had a gear that the Triton just couldn't match. Running far from freshman-like Jess cruised down the final stretch stopping the clock at 37:00 and winning her first CCAA title as if she'd been doing it for years.

Chang would finish second just a few ticks of the clock behind. Joining Varela on the podium was Jonah Weeks who held on nicely for third. Mikesell finish fourth with a gutsy 37:09 PR scoring some nice points toward the cause. Tiffany Heflin who lost contact with the group relatively early in the race would finish 9th respectively. As the dust had settled and I glanced at my stopwatch, I was pleasantly surprised to see a "76" for Jess' final 400m. With three 'Cats finishing among the top 4 overall and displacing the LA pair (LA was a big threat for the title, along with UCSD) the 10k served as a nice opener for the 'Cats title hopes.

Men’s 10,000m Final: The 'Cats would send four solid contenders into the men's 10k final on Friday night. Sophomore Alfonso Cisneros (30:59 pr), Junior Kyle Fox (31:20 PR), Johnny Sanchez (31:10 PR) and Jeremy Brummitt (31:10 PR). The plan for the quartet was to trade the leading duties trying to carry an even 75 second per lap tempo for as long as it would be needed to hopefully shake the competition. From the gun each of the Chico runners would take an 800m stretch, before relinquishing the lead to a teammate who would do the same. After 1 cycle through the Wildcat 10k roster at the front, 5-6 athletes were quickly off the back, and by the 10 lap mark the lead pack had dwindled to just the 4 Chico runners, Stanislaus' Kanwar Dhaliwal (14:54/31:17 prs), Humboldt's Joe Ostini (31:21 pr) and 4 UCSD runners with seed times in the 31:50-32:30 range.

In the fourth mile, 3 of the 4 San Diego runners became victims of the pace, as did Dhaliwal, and now the pack was down to the Chico four, and Humboldt's lone hope Joe Ostini. Just before 16 laps, Ostini cracked and fell steps off the pace, and then meters. His form was falling apart and it appeared that the 1-4 sweep just might be in play for the Chico crew. Leading up to the 8k mark, Cisneros dropped a 73 lap during his pull at the front, and Brummitt and Fox lost contact with the pack (now just Alfonso and Sanchez). Almost immediately the two began to lose precious steps to a resurgent Ostini. As Cisneros and Sanchez sailed on to what would eventually become a 1-2 finish, Brummitt feel from Fox's stride and within 2 laps was caught and passed by an unrelenting Ostini.

With 3 laps to go Ostini caught and passed Fox and now the 1-3 sweep was in serious jeopardy. Thankfully Fox is one of those runners who almost always has a solid kick in the back pocket, so the focus became to keep him close to the still struggling Ostini, so that hopefully he could employ the finishing wheels. Ostini fought valiantly to break Fox, but the surges were futile, and as the two completed the penultimate turn Fox hit the switch and didn't stop running until he landed on the podium with teammates Cisneros and Sanchez. Brummitt did a great job of damage control and held on for 5th, giving the 'Cats 4 of the top 5 places, which as the ladies had done just minutes before, gave the 'Cats team title hopes, a nice boost.

 
Saturday's Action:

Women’s 1500m: Chico's Stephanie Consiglio and Alia Gray went into the 1500 final seeded 4th and 7th respectively, but both yours truly and the athletes involved felt that more could be accomplished. The two had looked strong in the heats the day before, each closing with 70 second laps to secure automatic spots into the final. The entire field seemed beatable on a given day with the exception perhaps being the CSLA duo of Lisa Oberg (4:25 PR), and Valerie Sanchez (2:10/4:29 PR's).

The goal would be to follow the LA pair closely in hopes of breaking up their points and perhaps in the meantime, pull away from the other top seeds among the field. From the gun the pace was quite slow, as the pack hit 400m near 5:00 pace. With the best 800m PR's in the field and knowing they still had 800m and 5k finals in front of them the LA pair were content to keep the pace modest. This would remain the case until 600m to go, when the two started to build the pace. Stephanie Consiglio in a great position, followed the move while Alia Gray trailed several strides behind. At the bell Sanchez and Oberg hit another gear and a small gap formed between the LA pair and Consiglio. Also closing nicely was Alia Gray who had 3-4 competitors charging at her heels in 5-8th places. Sanchez employed the speed that carried her to a 2:10 800m this season, while racing to the win. Oberg followed closely and Consiglio (even with a 49 second final 300m split) finished just over 1 second out of second place. Gray, a 10k specialist, did a great job of finding some finishing gears while holding off several low to mid 4:30's runners while placing fourth just behind fellow Wildcat Consiglio.

Men’s 1500m: In 2004 Chico's Chris Eggers became the first Wildcat to win a CCAA 1500m title, and unknown to him at the time would start an 8 year winning streak for the Cats in the metric mile event. Steven Springhorn would win the next, followed by a three year run by Scotty Bauhs. 3:43- 1500m runner Michael Wickman would take the next two, and Senior Manny Mejia would surprise the field with his '11 victory. To continue the streak in '12 we'd need some really special things to happen, and maybe some bad luck by the opposition. The challenge standing in front of the 'Cats Isaac Chavez (3:52 Pr), Joseph Rivera (3:52 Pr), Josh Linen (3:57 PR), and Anthony Costales (3:58 Pr) were Stanislaus' 3:48 guy Dawson Vorderbruegee, and Humboldt's Jantzen Oshier (4:00 for 1600m in HS).

Our best chance would come if the pace at the front were honest, and most specifically if Vorderbruegge took the front at a fast pace as he tends to do. Unfortunately for the 'Cats this wouldn't be the case as the Stanislaus runner took the front, but only notched a 65 first lap. The following revolution was painfully slower as a bunched pack hit 800m in 2:15. Now the race was really weighing in the favor of 1:51 800m guy Oshier. The third lap brought an increased tempo as the still tight pack recorded a 62 second revolution. Going into the bell lap the 'Cat with the slowest seed time (Anthony Costales) had the best positioning (of the Chico runners) and raced to the front of the field in hopes of running away from everyone. Unfortunately for Costales, his 800m PR (2:00) wasn't comparable to Oshier, Vorderbruegge and the others who settled behind him. Down the backstretch Oshier and Vorderbruegge hit the jets and rolled past Costales. Unfortunately for the 'Cats chances, Joseph Rivera failed to make the jump with the leading duo (Joseph has the best leg-speed of our group). As Oshier and Vorderbruegge battled at the front for the title, Rivera appeared to be making up some time during the final turn. Unfortunately Rivera's final lap of 55ish, wasn't enough to catch the two ahead, but was enough to secure a spot on the podium. Isaac Chavez used a quick final 50m to overtake CSLA's Uriel Aquino for fourth. Josh Linen would finish 6th, and Costales would hold on for 8th giving the 'Cats 4 of the 8 scoring positions. A streak lost, but plenty of team points gained.

Women’s Steeplechase: The Chico State women's steeple crew has really become a big scoring punch for the 'Cats track team. A year ago a 1-5 sweep in the event would help the eventual team title in a big way. Having graduated CCAA runner-up Brooke Bergesen and the addition of Stanislaus' Courtney Anderson (10:32 PR) the '11 JC State champ, and 10:40's runner Denali Foldager would make it nearly impossible to repeat any kind of a sweep. Still the 'Cats sent 6 solid steeplers to the line in hopes of somehow scoring the majority of the 8 scoring places. Top 'Cat Amy Schnittger's goal was to give Stanislaus' top seed a good run for her money, while hoping to repeat as CCAA champ.

As the gun sounded, the Stanislaus women surprisingly ran conservatively (for them) allowing Schnittger to dictate the pace. Thankfully Amy has a wonderful sense of her race pace over the barriers and several laps in the mid 80 range strung the pack out nicely. Nearing half way, Stanislaus' #2 woman Denali made a bold move to the front recording what had to be an 80 second revolution and giving her a 30m lead in just 400m of running. Not biting on this move Schnittger maintained her even tempo and Anderson covered Schnittger still. Foldager recorded another 80 second lap leading up to 2k putting yet more time on Schnittger and Anderson.

Just when it appeared that Foldager would run away from the field and run a 10:30 off the front, Reality set in and the Stanislaus runner started to come back to the following pair. As this was happening Amy's relentless splits in the 84-85 range had taken their toll on Anderson, and separation was happening. Sensing that a win was within her grasp Amy recorded an 84 second 6th lap, and an 82 for the 7th passing and unresponsive Foldager in the penultimate lap. With the race firmly in her grasp Amy was now racing the clock chasing an improved NCAA mark as well as our School's record (10:43-Jen James). A solid final 250 gave Schnittger all three.. a CCAA title, a 10:42 NCAA improvement, AND a school record.

While Schnittger was running her way to a repeat title, her teammates were battling successfully for scoring spots. Katie Spencer ran a beautiful race to secure 4th overall, nearly catching the Stanislaus pair over the final 800m. Finishing 5th would be teammate Emily Stickney (only a frosh), and 7th and 8th would go to Natalie Galvan and Quetta Peinado. For Peinado who was injured for a good portion of March, this was only her second steeple ever. Hayley Swanson finished in 10th position overall giving the 'Cats 6 of the top 10 places respectively. Another nice points haul for the barrier women of steeple at the championships!

Men’s Steeplechase: One thing I've learned through the years of coaching the steeplechase is that crazy things tend to happen in this event more than any other.. especially at the championships. With 4 barriers and a water jump to maneuver each lap, and tired legs and clouded vision all becoming factors late in the race, you can't anticipate a final outcome until the final barrier has been cleared and the 50m stretch to the finish has been covered. Now on to Saturday's race.

Going into the race with 4 very competent steeplers (Miles Dunbar-9:09 PR, Kevin Svahn-9:18 PR, Phil Graber-9:23 PR, and Alex McGuirk-9:23 PR) we liked our chances of a hopeful 1-4 sweep if all went well, given Pomona's 9:23 guy Jose Marquez hadn't raced a lot this season and appeared to perhaps be less than 100 percent coming into the meet.

As the race began Dunbar, Graber and Svahn ran at the front making sure to keep the pace in the 9:25 range in hopes of eventually shaking any would-be challengers along the way. Dunbar took several laps, and Pomona's Marquez took the front for a small stint in the first kilometer as well. The first of 2 unexpected events for the 'Cats came when Kevin Svahn dropped to the track just after the kilometer mark, holding his calf. Apparently a "funky" water jump the lap before tweaked his calf and hurdling beyond that sent severe pains up his leg. Although he wouldn't complete the race, Kevin will be alright after being diagnosed with a calf strain. By mid race things were shaping up nicely at the front, as Graber and Dunbar had pulled clear of the field and now worked together to keep the pace honest enough to secure the 1-2 finish. RS Frosh Alex McGuirk appeared to be on the ropes to some degree in the early going, but just past the mile mark, began to drop fast laps, that sent him from 7th place all the way into third within an 800m stretch.

With 800m remaining the 'Cats ran 1,2,3 but Dunbar had run away from Graber at the front and Graber was now Not looking very controlled, as hurdling and water jump form was unraveling dangerously. McGuirk caught and passed the struggling Graber during the final lap, but Graber didn't have the energy to follow his younger teammate's quick closing pace. Dunbar would hit the tape first, and McGuirk would easily sail to a 2nd place finish in his first CCAA race, and Graber had a 5-6 second advantage over Humboldt's Armando Ibarra Espinoza after barely clearing the final water jump. With just 1 barrier remaining between he and the 1-3 sweep I took a deep breath hoping that Phil would stay on his feet. Unfortunately this was not to be as Graber's lagging trail leg snagged the barrier and he flipped upside down hitting his head hard against the track surface. Seeing this Ibarra flew over the final barrier before Graber had even gotten to his knees. The remainder of the race was tough to watch, because a groggy Graber took what seemed like 5-6 seconds just to get back on his feet, then slowly jogged down the final stretch while athletes sprinted by one after the other. Completely out of it, Graber literally walked the final few steps through the line finishing 7th overall. Thankfully after being evaluated by the training staff, Graber appeared to be OK and not suffering from a concussion. We can chalk this race up with all of the other classic barrier events in the "dramatic finish" category. While bringing home the victory Miles Dunbar becomes the 9th Chico steeple champ in the past 10 years of CCAA action. This is a very deserving result for a hard working young man.

Women’s 5,000m: With the 5k being the penultimate event on the track, and the team scores quite tight between Chico, LA and San Diego, the Chico women had a plan to hopefully score some big points in the 12.5 lapper. On paper going off the seed times Chico scores 17, LA scores 14, and San Diego is shut out. Given that LA's primary scoring threats (Valerie Sanchez-16:51) and Lisa Oberg (16:57) had already contested the 15 and the 800, the plan was to use a few of our athletes who didn't have chances at scoring, to get the pace going from the start, and to Not allow a kickers race to formulate. This would hopefully put the LA pair at a disadvantage or at least take some of the sting out of their closing speed.

Having watched the race unfold, I can say that the plan worked beautifully. Tifanny Heflin, doubling back from the 10k the night before took the initial 5 laps through at an event 85 second pace tempo, before giving way to teammate Jonah Weeks (also doubling back from the 5k). Although the pack didn't go with Jonah, )but instead ran a similar pace just behind) LA's women and Pomona's Tiffany Dinh (16:57 PR) pressed the front of the chase group, to keep the Chico runner close. Nearing 3k Weeks stepped off the oval and now the race was on. With no one wanting to take the front and tired faces showing all around, Chico's Alia Gray (doubling back from the 15 earlier) seized the lead and dropped an 80 second lap. This move signified the true beginning of the race as the large lead pack almost immediately disintegrated. Pomona's Dinh (one of the few "fresh" athletes in the field) gave chase to Gray, as did Humboldt's Bridget Berg (also fresh). LA's pair Oberg and Sanchez also responded, but after several tough laps, their tired legs began to show. As the tough laps of the final mile ensued, the Wildcat women did some great work in passing and putting solid runners behind them. Steeple champ Amy Schnittger moved from 6th to 3rd in the final 3-4 laps. 10k champ Jessica Varela also did a masterful job of hammering by tiring runners while running on tired legs of her own.

At the front Alia Gray would continue a slew of 80-82 second revolutions, while defending her 2011 CCAA title. Pomona's Dinh would hit the tape second overall, and Amy Schnittger completed a monster 10:42/17:48 double with her third place 5k finish. A huge point swing in favor of the 'Cats came in the form of Stephanie Consiglio making up 2 seconds and putting on 3 seconds to LA's Valerie Sanchez in the final 400m, while placing 4th. Jessica Varela would give the 'Cats 4 of the top 7 with her solid 7th place finish. The final point tally between the 'Cats and LA in this one: Chico-23, LA-5! With everyone running on tired legs and in temps nearing 80 degrees, the Chico women executed an awesome game plan in difficult conditions, and helped the 'Cats earn a third straight CCAA team title! What a run!

Men’s 5,000m Going into the men's 5k CSLA had just scored a huge 1,2,3 sweep in the men's 200m and held the fastest 4 X 4 seed time going into the final event. The Ace that the 'Cats had in their pocket was the huge advantage on paper in the men's 5k. With 8 of the top 10 seed times the 'Cats had a clear advantage, but it would be important to run a smart and tough race to secure the points needed to help the title push. The two main threats to the 'Cats in their quest to hog as many of the 8 scoring spots were Stanislaus' Dawson Vorderbrugge (3:48/14:48 PR's), and Humboldt's Austin Huff (14:41/29:37 PR's). It would be nearly impossible to push Huff out of the scoring mix given his background and strength, but Vordegbrugge could be scary if the pace wasn't at least honest enough to lessen his closing speed.

As you might expect, pacers were employed, as Alex McGuirk, Kyle Fox and Jeremy Brummitt each took some pulls at the front in the initial laps, to help keep the pace hovering around 15minute tempo. Given the hot conditions and the tired legs of most of those doubling, this was a pretty honest tempo. Perhaps the most surprising development of the race was when Vorderbrugge seized the lead and kept the pace rolling during the middle of the second mile. Given this tactic it wasn't totally surprising to see him peel off the track at 3200m, apparently content with an 8 lap run on this day. As the pace had worn on everyone in the field, the 'Cats had slowly disgarded all pursuers from other teams with the exception of Humboldt's Huff, by 3200m. Although the Chico men were scattered a bit, small packs had formed and with some encouragement by yours truly to just work together within these groups, while not allowing the opposition to catch up, the guys did a great job of holding their positions over the final 3-4 laps. Defending CCAA 5k champ Anthony Costales made a hard move from about 1200m out, and teammate Isaac Chavez went with the surge. Together the two pulled away from Huff, who tried valiantly to keep them within striking distance.

With a 10 year winning streak at risk in the 5k, it was a thing of beauty watching Costales and Chavez run away from the front, keeping the most prized distance race in the Wildcat family for yet another year. Costales would find the finish first for the second year in a row, and Chavez would finish just a tick of the clock behind. Huff would hold on tight for third, while Rivera would complete a nice 15/5 double with his fourth place run. Steeple champ Miles Dunbar would take fifth, followed by Alan Cuevas (6th), Alfonso Cisneros (7th), Joshua Linen (8th) and Johnny Sanchez (9th). In much the same way these same men had performed while taking 10 of the top 11 at the CCAA XC champs this fall, the men would take 8 of the top 9 in the 5k on this afternoon. Of course the 33 point tally as compared to LA's "0" was just the shot in the arm that we'd hoped in looking at the team competition.

As always, thanks for your support, and stay tuned. Several 'Cats will participate in Last Chance meets this final weekend of qualifying for NCAA Championships. The coming weekend in the final opportunity for those trying to punch their ticket to Pueblo, CO.

A few words from Coach Hanf:
Great news to report from Wildcat land...Chico State maintained its grip on the California Collegiate Athletic Association Track and Field Championships, but not without some serious challenges along the way. Our men edged host Cal State L.A., 196.5 - 192, to win our ninth straight conference crown and our Wildcat women edged UC San Diego, 154.5 - 146.5, to win our third straight CCAA title. The host Golden Eagles were also close behind in third place with 144 points. Throughout the 3-day meet each team took turns taking the lead in overall point totals. Each team had their strengths that helped them to surge, and their weaknesses that cause slips.

In the end the Chico mantra prevailed...total team depth & unity! We took our lumps along the way but rose above the rest when the final points were tallied. After the team results were announced, the championship banners were presented and championship tee shirts were handed out, it was Chico State that was dancing and chanting on the Cal State L.A. track while the other teams packed their bags and left the venue. "C-to the H- to the-I-C-O!!!!" was heard throughout Jessie Owens track all weekend. As was "ain't no runner like a Chico runner, cuz a Chico runner DON"T STOP!" Needless to say the long bus ride home was filled with a bunch of happy but very hoarse Wildcats. Yours truly is still smiling J The victory did not come without distress however; the meet results were being protested on Sunday and on through Monday. Without going into detail, the appropriate measures were FINALLY taken, and the men's team title was awarded to the Chico State Wildcats for second time in so many days. For our ladies, it was the third straight conference title...a 3-PEAT!! The guys are now up to 9 in a row!!! Three times a three-peat!

The ladies had scoring contributions from 26 different athletes in 18 of the contested 21 events. There were 10 award ceremonies that had a Chico Lady cat on the podium. 8 of our athletes earned All-Conference and Aimee Rodgers, Amy Schnittger and Robin Hannah reached the podium twice. Alia Gray (5K), Rodgers (400H) and Schnittger (Steeplechase) were event champions! 23 points were scored in the 5K...the second to last event, which in affect sealed the victory. 14 valuable points were added by our 4 athletes in the heptathlon. Robin Hannah later tied for 3rd in the high jump, beating both LA girls and tying the top UCSD jumper.

The fellows had 23 different athletes add to the point total. 15 of our dudes reached the podium with Alfonso Cisneros (10K), Anthony Costales (5K), Miles Dunbar (Steeplechase) and Michael Souza (HJ) winning their events. 33 points were scored in the 5K alone! 28 were added in the 10K, 22 in the high jump and 20 in the steeple. We now have a pair of new school records...Amy Schnittger broke Jen James' steeplechase record by .72s and Aimee Rodgers passed Kelly Clancey in the 400m hurdles when she ran 60.88! Decathlete John Brunk knocked a second off of his 400m PR and placed second with a time of 48.07. It lands him on the top 10 list, passing David Sawyer from 1991.