EVANSVILLE, Ind. – While most of Jimmy Elam’s peers at Humboldt State were mulling over where to get a good, cheap meal, which classes to take, or who to have as a roommate, he was making one of the toughest, boldest, and in some senses, the costliest decision of his young life. After spending his first three years in college at Humboldt State, Elam decided to transfer to Chico State for his senior season.
That decision meant he had to sit out an entire year because of the inter-conference transfer rule. It meant he had to leave his team and many of his friends behind in Arcata. Without a doubt it was a hard decision. It’s also a decision that has paid off.
Elam capped a magical senior season with a 15th-place finish at Saturday’s NCAA Championships in Evansville, Indiana, earning All-America honors in the process.
“All the training and hard work I’ve put in – a day like today makes it all worth it,” said Elam. “It’s amazing. This is as happy as I could ever be. I’m really just trying to focus on the moment and take it all in before the feeling goes away. I don’t think I could have asked for a better season.”
He didn’t ask for it as far as Wildcats’ Head Coach Gary Towne is concerned. He worked for it.
“I’m really happy for Jimmy and proud of him,” said Wildcats Head Coach Gary Towne. “He really took a chance transferring to Chico. But by making that decision and working as hard as he has, he’s accomplished something that he can always be proud of.”
“It was a really challenging course, which I think made it better for Jimmy because it really challenged people out there. A really challenging layout separates people who are exceptionally strong aerobically from people who have ability on the track. Cumulatively speaking, he’s probably put in more miles than anyone in our program and that really paid off today.”
Elam’s finish ties him with assistant coach Patrick Boivin for the ninth best in the history of Chico State men’s cross country program. Only Boivin, Scott Bauhs, Charlie Serrano, and Chris Eggers have finished higher for the Wildcats since the 1969 season.
“I was set to go out and be an All-American. I figured that if I ran like I did at the Regionals I would finish somewhere between 25th and 30th. But I was feeling amazing early on so I knew I would be able to do even better than that,” said Elam. “I took off in about 40th place and I just focused on breaking people on the hills and starting picking people off. I don’t think I’ve ever been in so much pain at the end of the race. It was a pretty cool experience knowing that I actually gave it everything I had. I’m a happy camper.”
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the rest of the team struggled en route to an eighth-place finish. While finishing eighth in the Nation is obviously nothing to be ashamed of, it was disappointing for a program that had not finished lower than sixth since 2001.
Brendan Scanlon, the second Wildcat to cross the line, finished 58th. Sopomore Joey Kochlacs put together an impressive 60th-place run in his first National Championships experience.
“Joey ran arguably his best race of the year,” said Towne. “I’m really happy for Joey because he handled the pressure well and went out there and did what he was capable of.”
Beau Gradone-Rogers and Michael Wickman, who were both battling stomach problems, finished 90th and 125th respectively. Last season, that pair earned All-America honors by finishing 32nd and 35th.
Brent Handa, who finished second at the CCAA Championships at fourth at the West Regional Championships, struggled to a 136th place finish. Alan Campos finished in 178th place.
“Beau came down sick with the flu yesterday. He didn’t sleep at all the night before with chills. And it was one of those days (in which) all of the guys who ran poorly said there stomachs were not well.” said Towne. “It’s really frustrating because all we needed to do was have an average day and we would have been top four. It’s really frustrating. But that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Despite their frustrations, the Wildcats can still boast 11 top-10 finishes at the National Championships in a row.
Adams State defended its National Championship in dominating fashion with only 23 points, making a strong argument for being considered the best team in the history of Division II. Western State finished second with 86 points, Colorado School of the Mines finished third with 153, and Western Washington, which finished well behind the Wildcats at the West Region Championships, finished fourth with 170 points.
Grand Valley State (185), Southern Indiana (228), and Queens (256) also finished ahead of the Wildcats, who nipped Harding by 12 points in the race for eighth.
Elam’s effort Saturday capped a phenomenal season in which he won the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship and Willamette Invitational title. He finished second at the UC Irvine Invitational, fifth at the West Region Championships, and 10th at the Stanford Invitiational.
It was unfortunate that I didn’t have more time at Chico,” said Elam. “I feel like my body is just meant for Chico’s program. I knew I could come to Chico State and do big things.”
COMPLETE RACE RESULTS