Benign conditions greet athletes at Wildcat Invitational
Schall, Morton, Burkhart & Tucker shine in distance crew's season opener

Saturday, March 10, 2018
Comments & photos by Gary Towne/Chico State Distance Coach

With the crack the starter's pistol for the 1500 meter event on Saturday, the 'Cats season literally and figuratively started with a bang at our own Wildcat Invite. Most of the distance crew ran 15/8 doubles, while some were brought back for 5k workouts late in the meet. A good number of PR's were enjoyed and the highlight of the day had to be having 9 Wildcat men (including 2 redshirts) run between 3:52-3:57, all in one race. Wildcat distance runners won each event they contested, including both 1500's, both 800's and both 5k's. Please find results of each race, along with short re-caps below.

Men's 1500m: It's a luxury having a 3:41 1500m runner on the team who is excited to help pace his teammates to an early season 1500m effort. On Saturday 1500m school record holder Kyle Medina would do just that, towing the race through splits of 61, 2:04, and 2:35-1k before stepping off the track. The honest early pace split the field into two with Chico athletes Derek Morton (3:46 pr), Connor Fisher (3:52 pr), Eddie King (4:0's pr), and Trad Berti (true frosh-4:10 HS runner) electing to take their chances on the quick front running rhythm. Also mixed into the lead group was CSUC alum Barron Maizland who's been working out with the 'Cats this spring. The chase pack was led for much of the run by Junior Chico runner Arturo Arevalo (3:56 pr).

Connor Fisher took the lead as Medina stepped off the track with 500m to go, proceeded to pull the field through the bell and a 3:06 1200m split. Morton followed Fisher closely, and with 200m remaining, took the lead for good en route to his second straight Wildcat 15 win. Morton would crack the tape at 3:52.06. Over the final 400m the chase group did a wonderful job of making up most of the gap between themselves and the leaders, and within a short 5 second span no less than 9 more athletes would cross the finish. Connor Fisher would hold on for a 3:52 mark, and second place finish. Red Shirting true frosh Trad Berti scorched a 3:53.07 third place finish. Joining the sub 4 club in a Big way were Eddie King (3:54.00) and Jack Johnson (3:54.85). 7th place finisher Jason Intravaia recorded a several second PR as well. Also running PR's and sub 4's were Arturo Arevalo, Matt Herrera, Michael Good, and Luis Ortega. Running well in Heat II were 'Cats 10k guys Wyatt Baxter (4:06), Remington Breeze (4:07) and Zach Chamberlain (4:08).

Women's 1500m: Senior steeple All American Alex Burkhart did a masterful job of winning the women's 1500m in a wire to wire front running performance. Burkhart took the race out in 73 seconds for the first circuit of University Stadium and never looked back. If she had, she would have seen the familiar sight of training partner Alex Tucker who also ran a very mature effort en-route to her eventual PR and third place showing. Elyssa Schall a Junior from San Diego came to the 'Cats as a 400/800 runner several years ago, and has quietly become stronger and stronger. Saturday will most certainly go down as her breakout day as she recorded her first sub 5 1500m while PR'ing by around 20 seconds with her 4:43 finish. Schall would double back with a win in the 800m several hours later as well. Also looking very solid on Saturday were Haley Boynton, and Desirae Jones, who raced to matching 4:50 PR's and looked quite strong throughout.

Men's 800m: Senior Kyle Medina was once an 800m specialist, but now his focus is on the longer events, having run 3:41 and 13:54 for the 1500 and 5k events. This season look out for Medina at a steeplechase near you, as he has practiced well over the barriers, (but we'll save that for our next meet in Sacramento). Today Kyle returned to his 2 lap roots and garnered a win by overhauling teammate and true frosh Emilio DeSantis.

After CCAA 800m champ Michael Good provided some nice pacework through a 1:25 600m split, DeSantis assumed the lead and looked strong with 100m remaining. Medina who looked a bit out of his element w/ the quick early pace would finally catch and pass DeSantis with 70m remaining, striding to the line with a 1:54 finish time. Emilio would hold on for second and a 1:55 PR. Teddy Kassa, who's a 5k guy, enjoyed a nice 1:57 double following a somewhat disappointing 4:01 1500m finish. Herrera, Fisher and Johnson would double back with 1:58 showings post-1500m PR's.

Women's 800m: On her best day a year ago, and while fresh, Elyssa Schall ran in the 2:17's for 800m. This year after a huge 4:43 1500m run earlier in the afternoon Schall doubled back with a 2:18.1 for the win in her signature event.

Men's 5,000m: Four Wildcat men would toe the line in the 12.5 lapper and each had run the 1500 earlier in the day. The goal for the 4 was to run around target 10k pace, to get a better feel for the rhythm of their specialty event, while also getting in a good workout on the day. Wyatt Baxter, Remington Breeze, Jason Intravaia and Daniel Harigan-Cota spent the majority of the run at the front and keeping the pace in the 74/75 second per lap rhythm. Through 1600m the Chico guys had a lot of company at the front, but as the laps wore on, competitors fell back one by one.

With 2 laps remaining the Chico trio of Baxter, Breeze and Intravaia ran alone, keeping the pace steady, and looking great doing it. Over the final circuit, the natural pull of the finish line carried the trio down closer to 3k rhythm. As they hit the final straight it appeared that an actual race within the race might be playing out as roommates and best friends Breeze and Baxter traded the lead. Just when it appeared that one of the two would go home with bragging rights to the win, Intravaia employed the speed that propelled him to a 3:55 earlier in the day, nipping the tape just a fraction of a second in front of his teammates.

Women's 5,000m: Some athletes are definitely more "coachable" than others, and RS frosh Alexandria Tucker is climbing up the ladder of this coache's top-10 list. Tucker, who had PR'd in both the 1500 (4:41) and 800m (2:21) earlier in the program, was scheduled to run the 5k in hopes of running around an 18:00 rhythm (around 10k goal pace). Unfortunately for Alex she would be completely on her own in this pursuit as there was no one else in the field who had run anywhere near this time previously. Knowing the lap splits needed to produce such an effort Tucker went to work in metronomic fashion, clipping off 85-87 laps, one after another. An 80 second final tour of the oval would produce.. An 18:00.5 mark, and completed one heck of a triple. Onward to that 25 lapper in a few weeks!

Next Up: The Chico crew will head to Sac State this coming weekend for the Hornet Invite. Look for our steeplechasers to use this as an early season rust-buster, a race in which 3:41/13:54 guy Kyle Medina will debut over the barriers. 10k runners will contest 5k's as they prep for upcoming 25 lappers at the SF Distance Carnival, and 15/8 runners will try their hands at fresh 800's. Now if only Mother Nature will greet us with decent weather conditions...