Alan Campos styled his hair wildly and colored the tips of three longer rows red before Saturday's NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championships Saturday in San Francisco. But every long-time Chico State fan knew better than to get distracted. To truly see Campos, one must look at his heart.

Campos, who had to work as hard or harder than anyone on the Chico State roster to earn a spot on Gary Towne's postseason roster, was the fifth Wildcat to cross the finish line and 18th runner overall, wrapping up the Wildcats' scoring and clinching the team's eighth consecutive regional title in the process.

The junior criminal justice major from Pico Rivera (El Rancho HS) was a walk-on three seasons ago. Saturday, by finishing in 32:08.7, Campos missed All-West Region honors (a top-15 finish) by only 18 seconds.