Chico State Women’s Cross Country team qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship after placing third at the West Regional on Saturday. 

The team’s standing was an impressive performance as the Wildcats faced off against 24 teams and more than 160 runners. 

Schools from Oregon, Washington and across California competed for a chance to qualify for the National Championship. Western Washington and Biola were the only teams to beat out the Wildcats. 

The Molina sisters finished as the top two runners from the Chico team, with Della Molina running a 20:54.2 and Iresh Molina finishing with a 21:37.4. They placed fourth and 21st, respectively.

Juniors Jaclyn Denham and Jacqueline Cascone finished 36th and 37th. Denham finished with a 22:02.6, while Cascone finished closely behind her at 22:02.8.

Sophie Pelletier, also a junior, rounded out the top five at 22:11.7, placing 42nd overall. 

Third-year Hannah Wirth was not far behind, finishing a mere 2.2 seconds after Pelletier. Wirth finished 44th. Grace Dupuis finished off the Wildcats’ run at the Championship placing 76th with a time of 22:59.8 

Della Molina was the solo runner to receive the All West award with her strong performance.

The Wildcats earned a total of 132 points. They finished behind Western Washington’s 75 points and Biola’s 86 points. 

The top five finishers from each team add to a team’s score, with points based on each individual’s placing. 

The Wildcats edged out Concordia University Irvine, which also received 132 points, after winning a tiebreaker.

After racing in Monmouth, Oregon, the Wildcats will travel to Joplin, Missouri to race at the NCAA National Championship on Nov 18.

Steven Amador can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]