The No. 13 ranked Wildcats ran through muddy and rainy conditions Saturday, taking 15th place at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships in Sacramento. Juniors Iresh and Della Molina finished as All-Americans, placing 24th and 32nd respectively.
The course, held at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course, was affected by the bomb cyclone that hit the west coast over the weekend. It was soggy and filled with puddles, and racers were covered in mud by the time they crossed the finish line.
Despite the conditions, there was never any doubt the race would be held.
“They run it rain or shine. Unless there’s lightning, it’s a go,” head coach Gary Towne said. “And I think for some of our younger athletes, especially on the women’s side, it’ll be a good learning experience.”
Wildcat fans made their presence known despite the conditions, with crowds of hometown fans at almost every turn. Student-athletes who weren’t in the race still showed out, painting their bodies with Chico State colors.
“It was insane, It was like every single turn we made was just like, ‘Chico, Chico,’” Iresh said. “Everyone was screaming in our face, and honestly, that is the most motivational thing we could ever ask for.”
Towne praised the twins, adding that they were the two most consistent pieces on the team all year long. While Della had a slow start, she was still able to finish as an All-American near where she finished at last year’s national championship.
“She was a ways back from where we had hoped to be in the early going and so she had to spend a lot of energy fighting up,” he said. “So for her to be All-American on a day where she probably wasn’t operating 100% like, we’ll take it.”
The team finished with a score of 411, with a combined time of 1:05.05 in the 6k. Their 15th place finish is nothing new for them, as they have placed 15th or higher in 21 out of the last 22 national championship races.
Along with the Molina twins, freshman Kaya Scuba finished 130th and sophomore Jasmine Fletcher finished 133rd. Junior Marbella Flores came in at 159th, while senior Sophia Pelletier finished 167th and sophomore Sienna Bianchi rounded out the team at 200th.
Once the race finished, the team met up with the men’s team, along with the large crowd of Wildcat fans. Cheers echoed the course as the sun started to peek through after the stormy morning to celebrate the team’s final race of the season.
“One of my goals as a coach is to try to promote the sport and try to promote our program; and cross country oftentimes doesn’t get quite as much recognition as other sports might,” Towne said. “So creating an event like this and having a lot of fans, a lot of energy, you know, I think that that makes an event right, if eyes are on it, and people are aware and getting behind it.”
With the end of the race, the Wildcats say goodbye to the 2024 season. They finished in the top three in every regular season, including a first-place finish to open the season at the Kym Duyst Twilight Invitational that saw the Molina twins take co-CCAA runner of the week.
The Wildcats then won their second-straight CCAA title before winning their first West Regional title in five years to propel them to the national championship.
For information about all Chico State athletics visit the Wildcat home page.
Nathan Chiochios can be reached at [email protected].
