Last Chance Invite weekend has traditionally been a very productive one for the Wildcat distance crew.. Moments are forever seared into my mind of athletes taking one final crack at their distance in an attempt to qualify for the NCAA meet, and knocking it out of the park in their last at bat. This year was certainly no different for our crew, as 8 of the competing 11 athletes notched lifetime PR's, and our list of NCAA qualifiers rose from one to four, with two others barely missing the mark. Nearly half of the competing athletes (5) achieved Top-10 All Time (CSUC) marks. It was another magical weekend and we're so grateful for these opportunities. Before I recap the various races I'll list the performances below. 

Women:

5,000m:
Della Molina (Fr)   16:24 PB, NCAA Q, #2 A.T. CSUC
Jasmine Fletcher (So)   17:15 5 seconds better than PB set at CCAA's
Sophie Pelletier (Jr)   17:41. 12 second PB!
Jaclyn Denham (Jr)   17:55

10,000m:
Iresh Molina (fr)  34:19 PB, NCAA Q, #2 A.T. CSUC (17:15/17:03 5k splits)

1500:
Jasmine Fletcher (So) 4:48 Doubling back from the 5k
Jaclyn Denham (Jr)  4:50 Doubling back from the 5k


Men:

Mile:
Damian Garcia (Fr)  4:03.45 (converts to 3:45.41 for 1500, #9 A.T. CSUC) 
3rd fastest full mile in CSUC history behind Scott Bauhs and Kim Ellison. Misses NCAA field by less than a half of a second.

Steeple:
Hunter Dougherty (Jr)  8:57.07  PB, NCAA Provisional (Misses NCAA meet by 1.5 seconds), #6 A.T. CSUC

10,000m:
Brayden McLaughlin (Jr)  29:16 PB, NCAA Qualifier, #4 A.T. CSUC
Mario Giannini (Fr)  29:53 PB, 2nd Fastest Debut in school history, NCAA provisional. Misses Top-10 list by 7 seconds.

5,000m:
Matthew Gordon (Fr)  14:45 Misses PB by 1 second, after 10k/5k Double at CCAA's last week.
Dylan White (Jr)  14:56 Tough run a week after PR's at 10k and 5k at CCAA's.

Friday Racing:

Men's 10k: Going into the weekend Brayden McLaughlin sat at #20 on the national list with a very respectable 29:21 mark. In most years the NCAA takes around 20 per event to the big dance, So Bray went into the weekend having to make the decision to try to improve his chances, or run the 5k and hope that his 10k time made the cut. In seeing the 10k field at APU and the 5 runners from Wingate who were entered, it became apparent that Brayden would definitely need to run the 25 lapper, and mostly to protect his standing on the NCAA list. If he could win the race and beat all of the Wingate guys, he would most likely make the NCAA field.

Wingate had solicited one of their alum to pace the front at 70 second laps for 3-4 miles, so Brayden jumped into the lead group and did his best to disguise himself as just another Wingate guy trying to make the national field. Credit the Wingate pacer for a job well done, as Bray hit splits of 4:39/9:19, 14:36 (5k) for the first half of the run. By 5k a few of the Wingate army had fallen from the group, and for much of the final two miles the lead group was just Brayden and Wingate's two remaining athletes.

While Bray was battling for the win and an NCAA berth, teammate Mario Giannini was locked into a battle of his own. Mario's challenge was multi-faceted, as this was his first 10k on the track (25 laps= a steep learning curve), and he'd missed much of April's run training due to an achilles issue. Add some solid competition, and Mario had his hands full out there. Despite the challenges, Mario gave himself a very honest chance at success, as the Chico native managed to reach 5k in 14:45 while running in a pack of 3. The second half would be a tough one, given the missed training, but Mario would hold on well.

Bray's lead pack slowed a bit over the 4th mile as they recorded a 4:45ish split from 12 laps to 16, but Brayden was advised to just sit in and focus on trying to win the race and protect his spot to NCAA's.

The 4 lap split to 8k (23:28) dropped back to a 4:42 and Bray stuck to the Wingate duo like glue, waiting for a fast close. Bray's 1600 split to the metric 6 mile mark (24 laps) was just around 4:40 as the trio notched a 69.0 penultimate lap. Finally with 400m remaining Brayden made his bid for the win, jumping to the lead, and pressing the gas. As the trio raced down the backstretch with 250m remaining only one of the Wingate athletes was able to hold Brayden's heels, while the other allowed some daylight to form between himself and the two leaders. Brayden would hold the lead until the final 50 or so meters before Cas Copmels (Wingate) would overtake him with a furious final push to the line. Knowing he had done enough to punch his ticket to NCAA's while notching another PR, Bray ran the final 10 meters with a massive smile and crossed the line with arms overhead. 29:16, and off to his second NCAA Track Championship!

Not to be lost in the excitement at the front, Mario employed some massive damage control over the final stages of the run. As if he didn't have enough to overcome Mario had to deal with some stomach cramp issues over the final 8 laps. Still he would rally enough to log an impressive 29:53 debut. Having watched some very good 10k guys come through our program, I can guarantee that with more consistency and experience, Mario is going to be very good at this!

Women's 10k: In the weeks leading up to NCAA's, top athletes (and their coaches) from across the country are eyeing the national lists, trying to figure out the best path to the big meet, and a hoped All American ending. With the 5k being a Very stacked event at the moment (16:25ish to qualify) the 10k looked like an opportunity for an athlete like Iresh Molina, who has enjoyed a great frosh season (16:37) but might be pressed to get down under 16:25 this season. The idea of the 25 lapper for last chance was pitched to Iresh the week before CCAA's, and by Monday of Last Chance she confirmed that she wanted to give the longer race a crack. Thankfully she did, because she appears to be a natural at the longer stuff.

In the hours leading up to the run it was learned that a pacer would be in the field, hopefully towing whomever wanted to follow, along at 34:30-34:40ish pace. This clip would most likely secure a spot to the NCAA Championships.

Despite this being Iresh's first track race beyond 5k, she ran it like a seasoned vet. She was advised Not to grab the position behind the rabbit (because this person inherits the lead as the pacer drops out) and she followed the race plan perfectly. Running in 4th position on the track through 1600 and 3200 splits of 5:32/11:04. Each time she passed by yours truly she was literally smiling. During the third mile as the pace lowered even more (1600 splits were: 5:32/5:32/5:29) Iresh stayed relaxed and maintained her spot among the lead group that was dwindling with each passing kilometer. 5k was passed in 17:15 and Iresh looked prepared the tough laps ahead.

After 5k, the pacer seemed to be getting some pressure to increase the pace a bit by Stanislaus' Kaela Dishion (16:28 5k PB, and '22 CCAA XC Champion). Thankfully Iresh was up to the task of an even faster 4th mile, as the leaders split a 5:25 from 12-16 laps. Somewhere around the conclusion of the fourth mile the pacer stepped off the track, and by this point it was a two person race at the front with Dishion leading, and Molina running comfortably on her heels.

Dishion would lead the pair just beyond 8k (27:32), before Iresh took to the front with 1600m remaining (the pace had been slipping a bit). Iresh had no intention of dropping the Stan runner, but in her attempt to get the pair back onto low 80 second splits, she quickly gapped the tiring Dishion. Iresh's 5:22 final 1600 (:76 close) carried her to a :13 second victory and a 34:19 debut for the 10k distance. Her final 5k had been covered in a speedy 17:03 and the overall time ranks her as the #2 Wildcat in school history. Iresh had started the day hoping to make the NCAA meet, and now she sits among the Top-10 on the yearly 10k list. Awesome debut!

Women's 5k: Della Molina went into the weekend with a stout 16:31 PR, set at the Bryan Clay Invite some 4 weeks ago. Every year until this one, that mark would punch your ticket into the NCAA meet, but in today's NCAA, it appeared going into the weekend that one would need to run 16:25 or better to get to the dance. Given that only 2 Wildcats in the history of the program have ever run that fast (and we've had a LOT of All American women through the years) we knew it would be a tall order to get under that 16:25 threshold. Either way, it was a full-send type of night for Della as she had nothing to lose in going after the mark.

To make this challenge harder, Della's race was not as deep as one would hope, and there were no pacers. Knowing there was no pacing at the front, Della jumped to the lead and pulled the lead pack through 76.4, and 80.5 second initial laps. During lap 3 she allowed a fellow competitor to take the front, and the pack ran an 81 second third lap. Stan State's super senior (25 years old) Najwa Chuati (16:21 PR) jumped to the front and ran a 78 second lap, getting the leaders through 1600 in 5:17, which was a few seconds off the desired 5:15 split. Chouati kept the foot on the gas and lap 5 was covered in a sizzling 75 seconds. Della absorbed the quick lap, and hung with Choati through a few more 79 second circuits before the pair hit 3200 in 10:35 (still a bit off the needed pace).

Just after 3200 Della took the lead for good and recorded 81, 78, and 80 second laps putting her within striking distance of the desired time. With no one around (Choati would fade to an eventual 16:53 time) Della ran a 37 second 200m to the bell, and absolutely sent it over the final lap. With a final 100m that Had to be in the 15 second range Della struck the tape at 16:24.48, having covered the final lap in 71 seconds! Ticket punched! Della's new PR moves her just past CSUC legend Katie Lee (Layman) on the All Time list (#2), and moves her on to what will be her first NCAA track championship meet.

Also competing in the fastest heat of the evening was Jasmine Fletcher and Jaclyn Denham. Denham's legs just never quite looked underneath her, as she struggled to a 17:55 finish time. Thankfully she did enjoy an awesome season that included a 17:24 run at the Leopard invite.

Fletcher knew that she'd have to absorb a quick early pace if she wanted to run with some folks, and this was indeed the case, as she PR'd through 3200 (10:57) and paid a bit over the final laps. Thankfully Jasmine's toughness and fitness allowed her to hold on to a really nice 17:15 PB (Previous PR of 17:20 last week at conference).

Also contesting the 5k (in a different heat) was Sophie Pelletier, a Junior from Folsom, CA. Sophie first dipped under the 18 minute barrier at the Chico Invite, a few weeks before CCAA's. Wanting one last crack at the distance Sophie locked into the front pack of her heat and ran a beautifully executed 17:41 PB. This was a perfect springboard into her summer training and the cross country season that awaits.

Men's 5k: Both 5k guys for the 'Cats were bouncing back from HUGE CCAA weekends that included 3 PR's in 4 races, as both had doubled 10k/5k in Turlock. Dylan White of course Won the CCAA 10k title, and bounced back with a 14:37 5k PB the next day. Capitalizing on a weekend like that just one week later would be difficult. Then Dylan came down with a head cold that hindered training in the days leading up to the Last Chance meet. Dylan did his best to attempt a sub 14:35 day, but the final mile was brutal, and he slid to a 14:56 finish.

Teammate Matthew Gordon did a great job of reading his body and racing the field around him (just as he had at CCAA's last week) but he would Barely miss his PB by less than 1 second, crossing the finish in 14:45.4. Gordon finishes a remarkable come-back year, after missing the entire school year of competition in '22-'23 with illness.

Saturday Racing:

Men's Mile: Damian Garcia had enjoyed a solid first year in uniform this spring having pared his 1500 PB down to 3:49 and tying his 800 best at 1:51. With all of this being said, Damian and his coach felt that there was more out there this season, and he asked to be placed in the Invite mile on Saturday so he could chase a fast time. Since mile conversions can be used for NCAA 1500m qualifying we were excited when Damian made the Mile field at APU. The mile field was certainly a loaded one with APU's Juan Diego Castro (3:57 PR from his Ok State days), Wingate's Luca Poppe (13:55 5k PB), and Jager Zlotoff (NCAA Mile Runner-up for UCCS) leading the way.

Sean Smith, APU's coach solicited a pacer to take the front through 800m in 1:58.0, which was pretty much achieved, but only Castro was willing to go at that tempo. The main pack rolled through 400m around 60 seconds, and then slowed to a 62. Damian sat in last position through 400m but moved up several places during the slowing second lap. He would maintain this position during lap three, occupying a spot about 2/3 of the way back of the main pack, but running within a second of the lead of the chase pack. As 1200m was reached Castro was rigging and coming back to the field quickly. At the same time Damian began to build momentum heading into the backstretch. Yours truly sprinted to the finish, knowing that Damian would most likely be in the thick of the battle for the win. As the leaders hit the final straight Damian moved past most of the pack but was never quite able to draw even with Wingate's Poppe or Zlotoff. Poppe would take the win in 4:03.05 while Zlotoff would finish 2nd in 4:03.20. Damian would cross just .25 seconds back in third (4:03.45) more than a second ahead of 4th placer Mason Ratkovich.

Damian's new Mile PB, converts to a 3:45.41 1500, which lands him #9 on the CSUC A.T. list, and now one must run 3:45 or faster just to sneak onto the esteemed table. Unfortunately for Damian, the NCAA accepted entries came out a few days after his big breakthrough run, and he was barely left off, as 3:45.0 was the final time accepted to NCAA's this year. This was definitely heart-breaking news, but he has 3 more years of eligibility to work on getting to, and crushing the NCAA championships. Stay tuned.

Men's Steeplechase: After all of the exciting racing that had happened over the weekend leading up to the final event, the men's steeple, it was hard to imagine Hunter Dougherty capping our weekend off with a massive run of his own, but of course it should have been no surprise given that Hunter has PR'd in every single steeple race that he's run.. A year ago Hunter debut'd in the steeple with a 9:37 win at Yuba College. The next week his foot gave out and he missed the remainder of the season. This year he opened with a 9:28 PB at Sac State. A week later he ran a 9:12 at the Fanelli meet. Two weeks later he would run a 9:07 PB at the Leopard invite in So Cal.. and of course he won the CCAA title a week ago with a 9:05 PB. Could the junior from Chico HS keep the streak alive? Could he break the elusive 9 minute barrier? Could he somehow qualify for the NCAA Championships? I can say this.. despite all of his PB's this season, Hunter went into his race on Saturday night determined to break 9 minutes and to hopefully gain entry into the NCAA field.

Going into the weekend it looked like it might take a sub 8:58 to make the NCAA meet, BUT there were a slew of DII men from across the country in Hunter's race at APU, all looking to solidify their spots at NCAA's as well. He would not only need to run fast, he would need to beat as many of his opponents as possible, given the heavy DII component to this meet. I have to say that Hunter did as good of a job as he could of putting himself on the NCAA stage by the end of his race.

Racing through early lap splits of 69, 72, 70, and 72 (4:45) Hunter was well on his way to a sub 9 clocking if he could close the race down well over the tough final 3.5 laps. Unfortunately for him a solid group of DII guys ran ahead through a very quick first half, so even though he was running well, he was barely inside the Top-10 DII guys on the track.

Hunter did a great job of staying composed over the final laps, keeping the hurdle form crisp and the tempo high. His slowest lap in the second half was a 73, but he followed that up with a 71 from 800m out. Hitting the bell at 7:49 Hunter put his head down, knowing a sub 70 gave him a sub-9. All hurdles were cleared successfully, and the final water jump was a thing of beauty. Hunter sprinted to the line, recording a 67.1 final lap split. His final time: 8:57.06 (#6 A.T. CSUC)! It's a good thing that we didn't know at the time that this mark wouldn't be good enough to make the NCAA field this year (It would have in Every year in DII history, but that's another story) because we all celebrated with Hunter, knowing how much he's been through, and how much he deserved this run. Sometimes all you can do is your very best, and Hunter has certainly done that, every, race, this, year!

Concluding Thoughts:

What a great meet for our crew. So much pride in how they raced this week and this season. With the help of some BIG races this past weekend we now take 4 to the NCAA championships next week. Brayden McLaughlin (10k) will be the sole male entrant from Chico State to make the NCAA fields this year, and Marissa D'Atri (Steeple/5k), Della Molina (5k) and Iresh Molina (10k) will join him (as the only female participants). Thank you so much for your support of our program, and please feel free to follow our progress in Emporia, Kansas next week. We leave Tuesday and competition starts on Thursday. The fields are deeper and faster than they've ever been, so we're excited to line up against the best that DII has had to offer.