Chico ER take on the meet

The Chico State track teams did what they always seem to do in the first weekend of May, and that's to rise to the occasion to claim a pair of CCAA banners. What made this year's version so special was the incredible support that the team enjoyed from fans and friends who were able to take in the action on our home track in Chico. As is always the case the team titles were a culmination of incredible efforts in every area of our team from the Jumps to the Throws, to the Sprints, Hurdles, and of course the Distance crew. It's a shame that I can't highlight all of the above, but I'll do my best to share some thoughts on the distance side of the competition.

From the top, the Distance squad had a very solid weekend of racing. Everyone who was able to finish their competitions scored toward the two titles, and at the end of the day Wildcats had stood atop the podium in 7 of the 10 distance races from the 800m-10k (M &W). Two of these individual titles included meet records as Alex Burkhart broke her own standard by cruising to a 10:24 final time. Will Reyes would break a 38 year old mark (by 12 seconds!) by running a super-impressive 14:01 in the 5k. Reyes' victory in the men's 5k also gives the 'Cats an unprecedented 16 year winning streak in the men's 5k event. Below I'll share some of the blow by blow action in the distance races, starting with the 10k's finals on Friday night.

  Friday May 6 Prelims/10k Finals

Prelims: No suprises in Friday's prelims as Good, Morton had no issues qualifying in the 800m, Medina, Morton likewise in the 1500m while for the ladies Zarate autoqualified in the 1500 and while none made it through in the 800 (as expected).

Women's 10,000m final: There were several storylines for the 'Cats going into the women's 10k on Saturday night. First was Sadie Gastelum, who had finished 2nd in each of the past two CCAA 10k's by a combined 5 seconds. There was no doubt that Sadie was excited to go after her first CCAA title. The second challenge within the pre-race storyline was the lack of combined experience at the 10k distance between our other three entrants. Kayden Carpenter, Jenny Guigere, and Nora Pizzella (freshmen of varying degrees, two red-shirt, one true) had a combined ONE (1) 10k finish between them going into Friday's run.

In analyzing the entrants and their performances on the year leading up to the race San Marcos' Raelyn Worley appeared to be the biggest threat to Gastelum at the front. Although she hadn't run a 10k in the '17 season, she had a 17:05 5k PR to her name and a 35:53 10k PR from 2016. The plan for the 'Cats was to hopefully work together at or near the front, trying to keep the early pace at around an 88 second clip per lap. If Worley were to run from the front at a much quicker rate then Gastelum would mark her move, and the three frosh would work together at the front of the chase pack to keep the pace honest enough to hopefully shake the rest of the field. It's not often that a plan plays out as you'd hope, but this one truly did.

From the gun San Marcos' Worley assumed the lead and a number of 87 second revolutions. As scripted, all 4 Wildcat women followed in order, along with a small group of runners from other programs. Content to do the leading chores at the front Worley continued to press from the front, while the Chico quartet followed close. As the front pack reached 3200m only two athletes from other teams (besides Worley) remained in the lead group and they ran in the final two spots. Late in the third mile Worley surged and broke up the lead group. As Sadie ran by yours truly she was given the green light to follow the leader while leaving the three frosh to fend for themselves the remainder of the run. Although separation had been established between the front two and the chase pack, the Chico frosh traded the lead of their group beautifully and kept relatively close contact well into the fourth mile. In fact, through working together Carpenter, Giguere and Pizzella had separated themselves from all chasers and now ran in 3,4,5 positions, well clear of any competition.

In the fifth mile the freshman pack split as Giguere's splits now hovered in the low 90's and Carpenter and Pizzella were hanging onto 90-ish second revolutions.

As Worley and Gastelum reached 8k Sadie looked over for the most recent split and a green light was given to take off as she felt it was best. Without hesitation the Senior from Gardnerville, NV assumed the lead and dropped the pace from a consistent 88 seconds per lap clip, to an 83. The change in pace wasn't sustainable for Worley and now Gastelum had 4 laps to enjoy winning her first 10k title on her home track. After an 83 second 10th lap Gastelum would run the final 1600 with splits of 84, 83, 81, and 76 seconds (approximately 5:25). Her huge close would give her a 20+ second victory over Worley who would finish second.

Nora Pizzella would rally over the final 800m to dip under the 37 minute threshold with her 36:58 debut. Kayden Carpenter would finish 4th with a big 37:05 PR, and Jenny Giguere would hold on to finish 5th with a 37:36 debut. Since San Marcos isn't yet a full member of the CCAA (and thus not able to score in the meet) the 'Cats would take team points for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place for a grand total of 29 points! As a small fun fact, the point total from these four women would surpass the grand total of three teams for the '17 championships.

Men's 10,000m final: The men's 25 lapper would be an interesting one for the 'Cats as '16 NCAA qualifier Steven Martinez had a nagging calf issue going into the race and had only finished a single race during the '17 season to date. Teammate Steven Velarde had picked up a flu bug at mid week and had struggled in the hours leading up to the start. Although his 30:47 PR would rank him high on the list of entrants, his exact sharpness wouldn't be known until the race began. Andrew Cobourn had placed 3rd in the 10k final a year ago in 31:11, but there was no doubt that the 2017 field was stronger than the '16 race. Arturo Arevalo would be the 'Cats final entrant but he had missed a month of training in Feb/March due to an achilles issue.

With an outside goal of running an NCAA qualifying mark, Steven Martinez assumed the front of the race, reeling off a series of 72 second laps. The quick early start was matched by a group of 7 runners, but a big gap formed between this group and Chico's Cobourn and Arevalo.

Unfortunately Martinez' calf gave out during the third mile and he was forced to abandon the race and around the same time, Velarde had fallen from the group, not looking like his usual self. At the half way point Cobourn caught and passed the ill Velarde, but trailed the lead group by 20 seconds still.

The second half of the run brought a predictable break from the front pack by Pomona's Mark Huizar (14:03 5k guy) and teammate Brandon Furgusen (14:19 5k PR). The two would sail away for eventual 1-2 finishes, while the remnants of the lead group battled it out for the next four positions. Despite running alone the entire second half of the race Andrew Cobourn would record a negative split over the final 5k of the run. Although he wouldn't catch the top group, the Senior closed the race with a 65 second final revolution and clocked a 31:07 PR which was good for 6th overall (4th pace scoring-2 San Marcos athletes ahead). Velarde and Arevalo would hold on for 6th and 8th place points. Although it wasn't pretty, at least 3 of our 4 guys would score in this one.

Saturday Finals:
Women's Steeplechase: The plan in the women's steeple was for Alex Burkhart to work with teammate McCall Habermehl at the front of the race at just under 10:30 pace. This would hopefully accomplish the two main goals of getting McCall safely into her second straight NCAA Championships, while also pulling them clear of the field. Their main competition would most likely be Humboldt State's Kori Gilley who had run 10:15 during the '16 season while red shirting, but had only run 10:35 this season. Teammate Nicole Anthony went into the run seeded 9th, but with the knowledge that she was more fit than her current PR had reflected.

Much like the women's 10k had gone, the women's steeple went exactly as scripted (thankfully). Habermehl and Burkhart traded the lead throughout the first 2k with Gilley on their heels. The three had separated from the remaining pack substantially and soon Gilley would detach, leaving the Chico pair to chase a sub 10:30 if they could stay on their feet. While the Chico duo at the front was sailing off to an eventual 1-2 finish Nicole Anthony was fighting for a top scoring spot of her own. The sophomore from Castro Valley had rolled her ankle as she tried to avoid a falling runner in front of her in the water jump and was trying to manage the pain.

Burkhart and Habermehl would clear the final water jump together at a measured sprint intensity. As the two came off the final turn McCall moved even with Burkhart, but the Junior seemed determined to be the first to the line, surging ahead for good. Both closed extremely well over the final stretch and Burkhart would take her second title in 3 years with a 10:24 final time. Her mark would break her own meet record set while winning the '15 title. Habermehl would finish just .4 seconds back also in 10:24 and would move by former school record holder Amy Schnittger on our All Time List (now #2 behind Burkhart). The mark will also guarantee Habermehl's participation in the '17 NCAA championships. Nicole Anthony would cross the line fifth overall in an 11:04 PR and NCAA provisional time.

Men's Steeplechase: The 'Cats would send Connor Fisher (9:02 PR), Jack Johnson (9:05 PR) and Chris Kigar (9:16 PR) to the line in the men's steeplechase. With Fisher and Johnson having only finished 3 steeples (ever) between them, and given Jack's early week illness, nothing was taken for granted in this race. To add to the uncertainty Chris Kigar hadn't enjoyed a good workout in several weeks.

From the start Johnson appeared sluggish as he seemed to strain in trying to stay close to Fisher and Humboldt's pair of 9:08 guys Dustyn Solomon and Chase Wheeler. Kigar ran around 9th position in the early going trying hard to measure his efforts.

Nearing the end of the second kilometer Wheeler hit a barrier and fell to the track for a moment. A quick recovery had him up and running but it was clearly a 2 man race for the title with 1k remaining. Although he wasn't as far up in the field as he'd hoped to be before the race Jack Johnson stayed within striking distance of the lead group the entire run and fought hard in trying to catch the tiring Wheeler. Kigar had passed several guys by 2k and now ran in 6th position with 2 laps remaining.

The battle for the title was a doozy as Salomon and Fisher traded the lead several times over the final two laps. With 200m remaining Salomon took the front, making a hard push for the finish. As Fisher approached the final water jump he surged and instead of leaping up to the barrier to push off, he completely hurdled it. Although this was his first attempt at this feat his landing was perfect and the momentum provided by not touching the final barrier carried him to the shoulder of the Humboldt runner. Now with 100m remaining the two sprinted down the final straight. Having enough of a final gear in his back pocket Fisher would find the finish first in 9:08.2. Salomon would cross just .4 back and teammate Wheeler would hold on for the final podium spot. Chico's Johnson and Kigar would finish strong with 4th and 6th place scoring efforts as well.

Women's 1500m: It's no secret that we've enjoyed some amazing successes in the women's mid distances the past 4-5 years with NCAA qualifiers Olivia Watt, Ayla Granados, Bailey Henshaw and Lora James, leading the way. With the graduation of Watt and James, our cupboard wasn't necessarily dry, but it was definitely nearing empty. Thankfully Sophomore Yajaira Zarate has emerged from the young group of women on our roster to fill the holes that these heavy hitters had left with their graduations. Zarate had whittled her PR down to 4:40 for the 1500 leading into CCAA's but recent workouts indicated there was more in the tank. Although she was seeded to finish outside the Top-5 overall she and her coaches felt confident in a PR and Top-5 placing at CCAA's.

From the start of the women's 15 final Zarate committed to running with the lead group. The commitment to the front resulted in a swift 71.0 first 400m split but the Warren HS alum remained poised and attached to a select lead group of 3 who all had PR's of at least 4:36 or better. Humboldt's 4:29 gal Tatiana Gillick led the pace from the front keeping the pace fast and honest each lap. Just after 1k Zarate became detached from the lead group and now was running solo with a large gap between herself and her nearest pursuer.

With 300m remaining Zarate pressed in an attempt to catch a splitting lead group, but with two of the three ahead of her running Pr paces of their own, there was no bringing in a podium spot. A strong stretch run did give Zarate a great consolation prize in a massive 4:37 PR and a 4th place finish!

Men's 1500m: The men's 1500 always seems to be an interesting tactical affair and Saturday was no different. With Kyle Medina doubling back in the 5k and Derek Morton and Garrett DeLong only having 75 minutes of recovery between the 15/8 finals, our goal was to perhaps create a slow pace at the front, and allow for a kick finish.

Unfortunately Cal Poly Pomona had other plans though, and despite planting Kyle Medina and Derek Morton at the front of the race to slow the pace down, all 3 Pomona guys quickly swung around and assumed a fast and commanding lead. With Pomona leading through the 300m mark in 44 seconds, the Chico trio reacted and attached to the heels of the Pomona group. There was no easing of the pace in the second lap as all three Pomona runners hit 800m in 2:01. Medina sat in fourth position looking comfortable, but the honest pace seemed to catch Morton off guard as he began to fade from the pack.

On paper only one of the Pomona guys seemed capable of such a quick pace and that was Ruben Dominguez who had Pr's of 14:04 and 3:49 to his name. Soon the reality of the early clip would take it's toll, as Dominguez would be leading into the bell and Medina sat on his heels waiting for the opportunity to strike. With 400m remaining Medina made his move and quickly crafted enough of a gap between himself and the Pomona guys that he was able to run the final 400m solo with several glances back to make sure no one was sneaking up on him. Medina would win his second CCAA 1500 title in 3 years with his 3:50 effort. Garrett DeLong would hang on for the final scoring spot and Morton struggled in with a 4:03 finish.



Women's 800m: No Wildcat qualifiers

Men's 800m: With 3 Wildcats having made the 800 final Chico was guaranteed some good team points in the two lapper. Sophomore Michael Good was the top returning finisher from the '16 championships and teammate Derek Morton was the top seed with his 1:49 PR run earlier in the season. Stanislaus' Rhomel Clarke seized the early lead pulling the pack out with a quick initial 200m, but then the pace slowed as Morton and Good hit 400m in 57 seconds.

Knowing this was far too slow Good and Morton quickly swung around the lead group and now led the race into the final 350m. Nothing would change to the finish as the fresh Good looked smooth and strong to the finish running the second lap in 55 seconds. Morton would follow closely finishing second overall. DeLong who was a bit under the weather over the weekend would hold on for 7th place giving the 'Cats 20 valuable team points!

Women's 5,000m:
Going into the CCAA Championships the women's CCAA 5k list was the strongest that this coach has seen in his 25 year tenure at CSUC. No less than 5 women had broken the 17:00 barrier this season and 15 had run under 17:40 for the 12.5 lapper. Of course not all would contest the distance at CCAA's but most of the heavy hitters would. In fact Chico's Hannah Dorman who had run 16:55 earlier in the season would rank 5th going into the 5k and 4 of those ranked ahead of her would also be "fresh" going into the final distance event of the championships. Leading that list was CCAA XC Champ Laura Aceves, and San Marcos' Natalie Rodriguez (2:13/4:31/16:49 PR's). Aceves also had 2:14/4:32 speed behind her at the shorter distances. Rounding out the list of competitors who were most likely to be competing for a podium spot was Pomona's Calene Morris who had 4:34/16:54 PR's going into the weekend. Chico's Alex Burkhart (16:48 PR) would start the race but had just won the steeple several hours before. Also entered for the 'Cats was Haley Kroll who had endured 3 weeks of sickness at mid season, and was just bouncing back into fitness in time to contest the conference race. Despite Kroll's qualifying time barely good enough to earn her a spot in the 25 woman final (instead of being relagated to the much slower B race), her goal was to score for the team if at all possible.

As the race began the pace was predictably honest from the start. Laura Aceves, Natalie Rodriguez and Burkhart traded some laps as the lead pack hovered between 80-81 second revolutions. Dorman and Morris both tucked into the stout lead pack and held on for what was to be a tough 5k. Although the competition was heated, the weather conditions were ideal with temperatures around 70F and not much wind. By 1600m the lead pack that was once 8 strong was now down to 5.

Around 2k into the race Burkhart stepped off the track ripping her shoes off in disgust as a malfunction with one was causing her foot to go numb. The lead group was now down to 4 (Rodriguez, Aceves, Morris, and Dorman). This group of four would stay together through a 3200m split of 10:45 and the race for the podium would be determined by who would crack first.

Not waiting to find out who would crack first, or who had the better closing speed, Chico's Dorman seized the lead with 4 laps remaining. Although her 81 second laps weren't much faster than the group had been running, the natural slowing of the pack allowed Dorman to create a nice cushion between herself and the group. As the chase ensued, the trio behind her slowly broke apart as Rodriguez couldn't handle the change in momentum. Dorman, having recently completed a 1200 repeat workout where each lap was run at faster paces, seemed to pull from the familiar feeling of notching the pace down with each revolution.

With 600m remaining Dorman was doing a great job of lifting the pace, as she would cover the 12th lap in 77 seconds. Surprisingly enough though Pomona's Morris was closing even faster as she covered the same revolution in less than 75 seconds. As Dorman ran down the final backstretch the hometown crowd cheered in an attempt to keep the Chico runner from being caught by Morris. Despite her best efforts Dorman's attempt to stay away were upended by Morris' big surge, and with 100m remaining the two were now running within a stride of one another. To be completely honest I don't even know if Morris ever took an actual lead (TC note: she did briefly about 40-50m out), as the two sprinted down the final straight passing lapped runners through a tunnel of mind-numbing noise. A subtle regain in momentum approaching the finish line appeared to be the difference as Hannah would win the hard fought title by less than a quarter of a second! Both Dorman and Morris would notch 10 second PR's and would secure spots on the line at the NCAA Championships in the 5k. What an incredible finish by both athletes. Lost in the commotion at the front was the awesome effort of Haley Kroll who had barely snuck into the 25 woman field. Running a methodical and gutsy effort throughout Haley would move all the way up into a 5th place scoring spot for the team by the finish. Her 17:54 final time was a seasonal best as well.

Men's 5,000m: The men's 5k has been won by a Wildcat every year since 2002 when Tyler Graff led a Chico 1,2,3 sweep over the top seeded Davis Aggie runners. Our 5k men haven't looked back since, and had won 15 in a row since that great day in '02. The 2017 race had the makings of one of the best CCAAA 5k's ever, with Chico entering Kyle Medina (13:54 PR) and Will Reyes (13:56 PR) and Pomona countering with 14:03 guy Mark Huizar, and 14:04 runner Ruben Dominguez. Medina, Huizar and Dominguez would be doubled from earlier racing, so a plan was hatched to take advantage of Will's fresh legs. Andrew Cobourn who had PR'd in the 10k the evening before agreed to take the pace through 1600, and Connor Fisher (Steeple Champ several hours previous) would shoot for taking the pace through 3k. The hoped pace would be 68.0 per lap, which would put Will under the existing meet record, while also placing a lot of stress on his competition hopefully.

It isn't every day that a plan comes together as the 5k did this year. Cobourn did a masterful job of hoping to the front when he was able, and Fisher settled just behind, with Reyes on his heels. Just as scripted Cobourn pulled the front pack through 1600 in 4:32 and there was already a lot of damage among the large pack of men who followed. By 2k the pace had taken it's toll on everyone except Reyes and the two Pomona standouts. Even Medina had drifted off the group. Tired from the hard steeple effort earlier Fisher managed 6 laps before peeling off the track. Almost before Fisher could depart the tartan surface Reyes darted to the front and instantly created a gap between himself and the two Pomona athletes. Huizar and Dominguez both surged to try to stay with the defending Champ from Chico, but alas there was no catching back up. The reason for their inability to stick with Reyes became apparent as yours truly pressed the lap button on the stopwatch. Reyes had covered the 7th lap in 63 seconds! Huizar and Dominguez had run a swift 66, but had lost valuable distance on Reyes, who continued at a torrid pace. The next 400m was covered in 65 seconds and the gap increased. As Reyes continued to press at the front the Pomona athletes struggled to maintain their composure and had separated. Medina who'd been cast astray early on, now appeared potentially capable of a podium spot if he could catch Dominguez who ran some 40m in ahead with 1600m remaining. Lap by lap Reyes continued to pour on sub 70 laps, while Medina started to do the same in 4th place.

With 800m remaining Will was easily under the meet record pace and now approached 14:00 territory if he could Really close fast. Medina had just caught Dominguez and now ran in third with Huizar in his sights. With thoughts of a 1-2 finish on his mind Medina put his head down and would run the last circuit in 61 seconds while catching and passing Huizar. Reyes needed a 62 second final revolution to break 14:00 but the Huge surge earlier in the run had tapped his legs, and the final lap was covered in 64 seconds. Will would destroy the 37-year-old meet record by 12 seconds, putting the new standard out there for future 5k stars to chase. His win also secured the 'Cats 16th straight CCAA 5k title. Lost in all of the chaos ahead was the run of Sophomore Eddie King who would score valuable points toward the team title with his 6th place finish.

What a weekend we enjoyed in Chico. A BIG Thank You goes out to all of the great parents, alumni, and supporters who came out to taken in the action. This weekend was arguably my greatest experience as a track coach. Chico is a special place and it was on full display this weekend.

Next up: Several of our athletes will compete in the West Coast Last Chance meet in San Francisco this weekend. Following will be graduation weekend, and then the NCAA Championships. Stay tuned as we hope to take a large group off to NCAA's in Florida!

Luke Reid - Chico State Sports Information Director:

CHICO - This isn't really a program as much as it is a family. And every member contributed to the runaway win, which was capped by the 4x400-meter relay teams victory in the final event of the day, sending the Wildcats and their fans into a frenzy that lasted throughout the evening.

That isn't to say that some of the Wildcats were not extra-exceptional. In fact, Wildcats dominated the post-event awards ceremony. Jason Dunn earned the Championship's High Point Award for leading all men with 26 points over the three days. Nolan Nagle was named the Field Athlete of the Meet after winning the shot put and placing second in the hammer throw. Kyle Medina, who won the 1,500 meters and placed second in the 5,000 meters was the Track Athlete of the Meet. And Head Coach Oliver Hanf earned CCAA Coach of the Year honors for the seventh time.

Joining Medina, Nagle, and the 4x400-meter relay team of Willie Latin, Derek Morton, Michael Good, and Kelly McConnell atop the winners' podium Saturday were Will Reyes (5,000 meters), Good (800 meters), McConnell (400-meter hurdles), and Connor Fisher (Steeplechase). They joined Friday's winners Lane Andrews (decathlon), Phill Bailey (long jump), and Dunn (javelin) to give Chico State 10 titles in 21 events.

The Winners Reyes ran the Wildcats' streak of 5,000-meter champions to 16 years and broke the meet record that had stood since 1979 with his winning time of 14:01.22. Nagle added nearly a full meter to his shot put personal record and also PR'd in the hammer. Medina, a two-time All-American in the 1,500 meters, controlled that race from the outset Saturday to win it for the second time in three seasons. Good outkicked teammate Derek Morton to the line to collect his first CCAA title. Fisher held off hard-charging Humboldt State athlete Dustyn Salomon to win the steeplechase title. And McConnell joined Reyes in the discussion for most impressive victory of the day with his effort in the 400-meter hurdles, motoring away from the rest of the field with power and grace. McConnell and Good would add to their hardware haul later, teaming with Morton and Latin to claim the 4X400-meter title. Latin (400 meters), Morton (800 meters), Medina (5,000 meters), and Dotun Olubeko (110-meter hurdles) all claimed runner-up finishes, along with the 4x100-meter relay team of Dunn, Latin, Eric Richard, and Bailey.

The Seniors A dozen Wildcats competed for the last time at University Stadium in fine fashion-draped in the CCAA Championship banner: Bailey, Chad Baur, Andrew Cobourn, Dunn, Chris Kigar, Latin, Aaron Martin, Steven Martinez, Dalton McBride, Olubeko, Reyes, and Justin Woo. Cobourn placed fourth in Friday's 10,000-meter final with a lifetime best effort; Kigar came in sixth in the steeplechase; Martin was third in the javelin, fourth in the long jump, and sixth in the high jump; McBride tied for fourth in the pole vault.

An eighth consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Association Track & Field Championship title was never really in doubt for the Chico State women Saturday at their home track in University Stadium. And when Alex Burkhart and McCall Habermehl cleared the final hurdle in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, setting up a sprint to a 1-2 finish, it was obvious that the banner would be theirs. It was only a matter of time, and a few more amazing performances. Chico State easily outpaced runner-up San Francisco State, 198.5-153, to win the title.

The Winners Burkhart won the footrace down the stretch with Habermehl, crossing the line in 10:24.56 to break her own CCAA Championship meet record. Habermehl bettered the record time as well, stopping the clock in 10:24.92. Habermehl's effort likely solidified her spot in the NCAA Championships. It is 11th fastest in the nation this season, five spots behind Burkhart. Hannah Dorman became the sixth Chico State individual champion in the 5,000 meters later in the day with a personal-record (PR) time of 16:45.65, which is 16th-fastest in the nation this year. During Friday's action, Taylor Sack claimed the pole vault and javelin crowns, while Brooke Whitburn won the long jump and Sadie Gastelum the 10,000 meters.

The High Scorers Whitburn bagged a pair of runner-up finishes Saturday and compiled a team-high 34 points in all. The reigning CCAA Athlete of the Year finished second in the triple jump and 100-meter hurdles. Jenavieve Turner and Aja Erskine also had successful days individually. Turner placed second in the 400-meter hurdles and fourth in the 100-meter hurdles, logging PRs in both events, and ran a strong leg on the 4x400-meter relay team which finished third. Erskine zoomed to a third-place finish in the 400 meters, fourth-place finish in the 200 meters, and helped, lead the 4x100-meter relay team to a second-place finish, and joined Turner on the 4x400-meter relay squad.

The Seniors Eleven Wildcats ran for the last time competitively at University Stadium in fine fashion-draped in the CCAA Championship banner: Aryana Carvalho-Mires, Jami Duarte, Erskine, Gastelum, Habermehl, Hailey Jackson, Hailey Kroll, Dominique Powell, Sack, Lauren Schnelli, and Whitburn. Duarte PR'd in the discus, finishing sixth and garnering three valuable points, and the shot put, finishing eighth. Schnelli placed fifth in the high jump and sixth in the javelin. Kroll ran the fastest 5,000 meters of her career to finish fifth. Jackson was part of both relay teams. And Powell tied for seventh in the high jump and placed seventh in the javelin.