EMPORIA, KS - It's hard to believe, but with the conclusion of the NCAA Championships this past weekend, another track season has come and gone. I am happy to announce that your Chico State Wildcats enjoyed a very productive NCAA trip to Emporia, Kansas. The 'Cats sent 4 athletes to the big dance, three women (Marissa D'Atri-Steeple/5k, Della Molina- 5k, Iresh Molina- 10k), and one man, (Brayden McLaughlin-10k). The four athletes would combine for 4 All American awards (2 X first team, and 2 X second team).

Having been to nearly 30 NCAA track meets in my time as a coach, I can say that this year's NCAA meet was a Very challenging meet. From the top, the times that it took to make the fields were faster than ever.. and the next big challenge was the hot, windy, and humid conditions that we were faced with in 2 of the 3 days of competition. Through it all Senior Marissa D'Atri further cemented her status as one of the (If not THE) best female distance runners to ever put on the uniform. D'Atri raced three times in three days.. Thursday she gathered a big Q to the final of the steeple. Friday brought a very impressive 3rd place run in the barrier final, and Saturday she Nearly matched her Friday result with a 5th place run in the 5k (She missed 3rd by less than a half-second!).

On to the race summaries:

Thursday May 23

Steeple Prelims:

This was Marissa's third NCAA prelim steeple, and she had the benefit of running in heat 2 (thus allowing her to see the times posted in heat 1). A top-4 finish in her heat would guarantee her advancement to the final. Marissa ran this like a seasoned vet allowing several athletes to run off the front in the early going, and working with NCAA record holder Gracie Hyde to eventually break away from eventual 5th place heat finisher McKenna Cavanaugh. The tough conditions seemed to take their toll on several top ranked athletes though, which gave us hope that a Top-3 finish in the final might be in the cards. Fourth in the heat, and onward to her third NCAA steeple final in as many years.

Men's 10k Final:

Junior, Brayden McLaughlin went into Thursday's 10k final having just run a PR 29:16 at the Franson Last Chance meet. Despite the speedy new PR, Brayden stood at the line with the 18th best PR of the 19 competitors. His chances for success weren't helped by his picking up a sickness early in the week, but that's the way things go sometimes. To add to Brayden's (and the entire field's) challenge on the night, was the deteriorating weather. As Brayden warmed up for the 8pm run, large clouds were forming, and the air grew thick with humidity.

All 19 athletes were in the start area, warmed up, and awaiting the starter's commands, when the announcer's voice updated fans, athletes and coaches, that there was lightening in the vicinity and that the meet was now to be delayed. Athletes and coaches made their way to an adjacent gym to wait out the storm. Having just finished her own warm-up Iresh Molina joined Brayden, yours truly, and the rest of the Chico contingent in the gym, where we traded small talk and awaited word on the new start time. After an hour of "gym time" officials announced that the races would start in 30 minutes, thus allowing a short re-warm up period. Stepping outside the gym was a shock to the system... The winds had picked up, and even though it was now dark, it seemed to be warmer than when the race was initially delayed (Likely 2-3 degrees cooler, but more humid - mid 70s with almost 90% humidity & much the same for the women)

Conditions for the second start of the men's race were honestly pretty brutal. Temps were high, it was windy, and the humidity felt closer to 100% than 50%. In hindsight I'm betting that all athletes on the line that night (other than 1 perhaps) would draw up a truce on the early pace.. Unfortunately West Texas' Kenyan star (NCAA XC Champ) William Amponsah seemed to have a plan that included dragging anyone who wished to run with or close to him out in a suicidal pace (given the conditions). Amponsah hit 400m in 66 seconds and after some hesitancy the pack decided to give chase. If you were trying to finish in the Top-8 this night you had to be ready and willing to run your first 2k in 66-68 seconds per lap.

Not feeling 100 percent coming in, Brayden occupied a spot near the back of the field, but attached to the main group.. at least for 1200m. Laps 4/5/6 caused gaps to form between groups, and Brayden ran among a 4ish runner back pack hitting 1600 in 4:34. With a gap forming between himself and the main group ahead, and another gap up to a now Kenyan duo at the front (Amponsah and Harding's Josphat Meli) it would take a small miracle for Brayden to vie for All American on this night. The rest of the race was a tough go for the Chico runner as he took the lead of his chase group at times, only to face the unforgiving head wind that came with each homestretch. At one point late in the run Brayden ran in last position, and it wasn't lost on this coach that he'd finished in that same spot two years ago in his NCAA debut. Thankfully Brayden never threw in the towel on this night, and he would finish exactly where he was seeded.. 18th of 19. Hopefully next year will bring the hard working 'Cat a sub 29 run during the regular season, and an All-American finish to match his two XC honors.

Women's 10k:

RS Frosh Iresh Molina was the 'Cats lone representative in the women's 10k. Molina had qualified for the championships in her debut less than 2 weeks before her first NCAA track final. Unfortunately for Molina she had most of the same challenges facing her as Brayden did.. The weather of course was brutal, and she too had picked up some sort of sickness the week of the race which caused her to miss her final workout of the season. Either way Iresh is a tough racer and she toed the line prepared for battle and ready to fight for a hoped All American finish.

Much as the men's race had before, the women's run went out at a pretty honest clip, given the conditions. The way things work in these NCAA races is that everyone runs the pace of the leader for some time, and then things eventually start to split and break apart as the conditions, and the pace wear on the field. On this night Iresh was pulled through early splits of 5:28/11:00 through 1600 and 3200. Eleven flat 3200m pace is around a 34:15 clip, and only one athlete would run that time on this night, so this says something about the difficulty of the conditions, and the type of race Iresh was a part of.

During the third mile, Iresh fell from the main pack unable to continue with the 81-82 second laps that the leaders were delivering from the front. Just as it looked like she would spend the second half of the run chasing the main group, she and another athlete who'd been dropped a lap or two prior, found themselves catching and absorbing back into the main group. Given the difficulty of the conditions, the leaders had slowed to a few 88+ second laps, and Iresh temporarily re-joined the party.

Just before half-way the front of the pack shifted gears again, and Molina quickly found herself off the pack and straining to keep those ahead, somewhat close. At 6k (21:23) Iresh ran in 15th position, and by 8k she had moved up a spot into 14th. For much of the final 2 miles of the run the final All American (2nd team) spot was some 50 meters up the track. For some time that person came in the form of Adams' Precious Robinson (a multi time All American). Iresh would eventually catch and pass Robinson, but she was also caught (and passed) by Augustana's Aubrey Surage. The 12th place spot at times seemed too far out, but when people cracked on this night, it was oftentimes quite spectacular. It took one of those, and a 77 final lap by Iresh to move into 12th just before the line.

Br It wasn't pretty, but Iresh's toughness and determination served her well on this night and with the effort she became the program's first All American of the 2024 season. Watch out for Iresh in the coming years as she gets stronger, and more experienced with these longer races.

Friday May 24th:

Women's Steeple Final:

A year ago Marissa went into the steeple final as a returning first team All American, and in much better fitness than the previous year. The unfortunate thing for Marissa was that NCAA's happened to be in Colorado, and most of the finalists in the event were from altitude-based schools. Despite being in far better shape than she was in '22 when she'd taken 7th, Marissa ended up 10th in 2023. Here is my final thoughts on Marissa's 2023 Championships as written in this write-up one year ago:

"The silver lining for Marissa was the fact that by virtue of a Top-12 finish, she earns Second Team All American honors, And more importantly she returns for 1 more year next spring, where NCAA's will be in Kansas. Let's circle back to this race in a year and compare results. My bet is that things will look Much different."

Well, I'm no fortune teller but "much different" was certainly on-the-mark in this case. Running on a level playing field this year, Marissa looked confident and in control of her race throughout on Friday. NCAA record holder (In steeple, Indoor Mile, and 1500) Gracie Hyde of Adams State had run a 9:28 earlier in the season and appeared to want to add "NCAA Meet Record" to her list of accomplishments in her 1 year with the Grizzlies, as she took the NCAA race out in around 73 seconds (9:15 pace). One nice thing the steeplers had on this day, was perfect weather to work with, especially when compared to the conditions the evening before. Taking full advantage of the setting and the field, Marissa chased Hyde and teammate Ava O'Connor (a sub 10 Irish runner) through the early laps. Going into the meet Marissa had the fourth fastest PR (Behind 3 Adams runners) but Adams' 3rd seed would never be a factor in this one.

As awesome as Marissa's eventual 3rd place race was, it did lack in excitement, as the Top 3 (Marissa included) all ran much of the race separated and without competition close-by. While Hyde went on to break the meet record with an impressive 9:36 solo run, Marissa trailed O'Connor by 6 seconds with a lap to go and held a 3 second advantage over Academy of the Arts' Katharina Goetschl who ran in fourth. Hearing that Goetschl was closing well, spurred Marissa into a closing gear of her own, and the 6 second gap between she and O'Connor was shaved to just 2 seconds by the finish. O'Connor would hold on for 2nd with a 10:08 run, while Marissa sailed through the line in 3rd (10:10). Goetschl would take fourth with a 10:13 PB and school record. Fifth place would finish some 10 seconds later.

With her third steeple All American honor Marissa adds to a growing legacy of female All American steeplers from Chico State. Lyndsey Kuehn, Jen James, Shannon McVannel, Amy Schnittger, Alex Burkhart, McCall Habermehl, and now Marissa D'Atri have combined for 13 All American runs since 2003.

Saturday May 27th:

Women's 5,000m Final:

Ten years ago if a team sent a pair of women to the line of the NCAA 5k who'd run 16:24 and 16:26 during the regular season, they'd be considered heavy favorites for a top-10 run. In today's NCAA Della Molina's 16:24 placed her 17th on the rank-order list, while teammate Marissa D'Atri's 16:26 placed her 20th. Of course Marissa had run a 16:14 a year ago, but even that mark would have ranked her outside the top-8 coming in this year. The Chico women would have their work cut out for them, but each had nothing to lose. For Marissa this was her last race in the Chico uniform, and for Della, it was her first NCAA (track) final, and she wasn't expected to finish among the All Americans. It was a full-send type of day.. Well, minus the weather.

Unfortunately the heat and humidity made a return for the final day of competition, as a destructive line of thunder storms were making their way toward Emporia as events were concluding. At race time (5pm-ish) temps were in the low 80's and there was plenty of humidity in the air.

Generally the NCAA 5k is the most challenging (distance) field of the meet. Check the Top-15 results of the most recent NCAA XC Championships, and you're going to match up a LOT of names in the 5k field on the track. This year was certainly no different.

Initially the run went out as if the women were well aware of the weather (which they were), but true-to-form, 10k Champ Florance Uwajeneza's patience ended, and the pace dropped from the mid 80's to the mid '70's by the kilometer mark.

After an 84 second lap to the 600m mark Marissa split 76, 78, 78, 79, 80, and 81 second laps to 3k (10:03). Like a rodeo bull-rider trying to stay atop the angry animal, Marissa was still in the lead group at 3k, along with 6 other women.

At the kilometer mark Della Molina ran in 18th place, and had covered the initial surge from the leaders. At about mid-race Molina (and several others) fell from the lead group, and now fought for final All American positions. By 3k (10:10 split) Della ran in 13th place, 3 seconds behind Arts' All American steepler Katharina Goetschl.

With just around 4 laps remaining West Texas' Uwajeneza (a Kenyan athlete) made a decisive move for the win. Only Adams' 15:47 runner Brianna Robles was able to cover the surge. Marissa took the fore of a chase group of 4 as she now ran in 3rd with a kilometer to go. Adams' Maggie McCleskey made a move of her own that separated her from the group and now Marissa ran in 4th position. Approaching the 600m to go mark Marissa was passed by Winona star Kaylee Beyer (2nd in the 1500 final, and 6th at NCAA XC this fall). Knowing Beyer had sub 4:20 1500 speed and solid strength, yours truly knew that Marissa would have a tough time hanging with her over the final lap. With McCleskey holding a three second gap over Marissa and Beyer it appeared that Marissa and Kaylee would be fighting for fourth place. Never doubt an athlete who's talented, tough, and running her final college race Ever, as Marissa refused to let Beyer gap her, even as the two shifted gears with 200m remaining.

Marissa and Beyer ran side-by-side down the final stretch and their race-within-the-race was drawing the pair closer and closer to the Adams runner in third. From my vantage at the top of the turn (150 remaining) I honestly couldn't tell who'd beaten whom at the line, as it was clear that Marissa and Beyer had at least nearly drawn even with McCleskey. As the results came across the big screen it became apparent that Marissa had JUST missed another 3rd place finish by just .34 seconds. but of course a fifth place finish was an incredible run for the 20th ranked athlete coming into the meet. Her final lap had been covered in 72 seconds!

Della Molina had gone through 3k in 13th place, but gave up a spot when NCAA XC runner-up Klaudia O'Malley passed her. The good news with O'Malley's surge was that Della latched onto the GVSU star, and the two worked together to catch and pass a few tiring athletes ahead. A strong 77 second final trip around the Emporia oval wasn't enough to overhaul O'Malley, but it was good enough to secure an 11th place finish for the Chico star. With the Top-12 finish, Della joins her sister in earning 2nd team All American honors at these championships.

Marissa's Farewell...

Before signing off, I have to recognize the incredible career of Marissa D'Atri. Marissa visited Chico as a senior at Alhambra HS, but chose to go to San Diego State initially. After a year and a half in SD, Marissa transferred to Chico State (with 2 XC and 3 track seasons of eligibility remaining).. just in time for COVID to wipe out the next 1.5 years of competitive running. After an initial XC season that saw her find her fitness and get her competitive mindset back, Marissa began a streak of winning and accomplishments that hasn't been matched by a Wildcat female distance runner ever. Most impressive was her ability to rise to the level of the occasion, always saving her best for the championship setting. Here are some bullet point accomplishments as we send Marissa off into the sunset.

XC:
2 X All CCAA, 2 X All West Region, 1 X All American
Senior XC season.. 4th-CCAA, 3rd-West Region, 14th @ NCAA's

Track:
4:27-1500 (#4 AT CSUC)
16:14- 5k. (School Record, fastest time in CCAA in 25+ years)
10:08- Steeple (School Record, CCAA Record)

5 X All Region
4 X All American

3 X CCAA Champ in Steeplechase and 5k events.

Marissa just graduated with a Masters degree in Business. (sidenote: she also just got the Wildcat tattoo so she's a lifer ;v)

Concluding thoughts:

It was another awesome year for the Wildcat distance crew. Lots of adjustments to our All Time Top-10 track lists. Two team titles in XC, including #21 in a row for the men's squad.. Both XC squads punched tickets once again to the NCAA championships (streak dates back to 2000).. Speaking of XC.. PLEASE Mark your calendars for Nov. 23, 2024 as the NCAA Championships return to Sacramento!! 2019 was Epic, and we're excited to play it back this November. Please plan to join us in Sacramento as we fully expect to send two amazing teams to the line this fall.