SAN FRANCISCO – The Chico State cross country team is always looking for a good place to run fast. Speedway Meadow, the site of Saturday’s NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships, surely fits that bill. The Chico State men will head to the heart of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in search of their eighth straight regional title and 11th straight NCAA Championship berth, while the women are gunning for their fifth regional title in the last seven years and their 10th straight NCAA Championship berth. The women’s six-kilometer race starts at 9 am, and the men’s race gets under way at 10 am.
Saturday’s top three men’s teams and top four women’s teams will advance to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 21 on the campus of the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. The top 15 finishers in each race will garner All-West Region honors.
Click here for a link to the NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships home page.
Click here for a link to the NCAA Cross Country Championships home page.
Women’s Preview
Saturday’s women’s race features four teams currently ranked among the top-10 ranked teams in the nation. Chico State is ranked No. 2, Alaska Anchorage, which may be hottest team in the region right now, is No. 5, Seattle Pacific is No. 6, and Western Washington is No. 10.
The race for the team title should come down to Chico State and an Alaska Anchorage squad that has been the best in the West in terms of their top runner through their fifth runner. The Wildcats will likely be paced by the trio of Tori Tyler (last year’s West Region Championship runner-up), Alia Gray (12th in the region in 2008), and Kara Lubieniecki (14th in the region in 2008). Gray and Lubieniecki have spearheaded the Wildcats’ attack for most of the season, while Tyler has been working her way back from injury with her sights set fully on the postseason.
Fourth-year senior Julie Shaw, who led the Wildcats with a third-place finish at the CCAA Championships two weekends ago, also hopes to finish among the race leaders.
Sophomore Shannon Rich (23rd at the 2008 regional and eighth at the CCAA Championships), senior Alyssa Flores (15th at the CCAA Championships), and freshman Paige Henker (14th at the CCAA Championships) will also represent the Wildcats, and one of those three may make the difference if the Wildcats are to hoist the regional banner again this season.
That’s because Alaska Anchorage’s strength lies in its ability to get its fifth runner to the line quickly. At the recent Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, the Seawolves placed all five of their scorers within the top seven finishers. And their five runners finished just 16 seconds apart.
Two-time defending NCAA Champion Jessica Pixler is a heavy favorite to win her third straight Individual title. GNAC Championship runner-up Sarah Porter of Western Washington could also contend for the title.
Men’s Preview
Western Washington University is likely the biggest threat to Chico State’s quest for its eighth straight Regional title. The Vikings, ranked No. 6 in the nation, will bring four runners with All-America credentials to the fight. The Wildcats, ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the West, will counter with a veteran team hungry for success.
Senior Jimmy Elam, the winner of the recent CCAA Championships who has led the Wildcats in each of the previous four meets, is expected to contend for a top spot. Many of his teammates are also capable of a high finish, though things have been a bit unpredictable with the men’s team this season.
One example of that unpredictability is Brent Handa, who was a candidate to redshirt this season before being called upon to run in the CCAA Championships after injuries left the Wildcats short-handed. He responded by finishing second in his first official race in a Chico State uniform.
Michael Wickman, an All-American many times over who has had an up-and-down season on the trails, also has the ability to run with the lead pack, as does Beau Gradone-Rogers, who finished sixth in the Region and 35th in the nation last season. Brendan Scanlon, who has a 20th-place finish at the NCAA Championships on his resume, does as well.
Alan Campos, who Head Coach Gary Towne calls the most improved runner on the team, and Joey Kochlacs, who finished in 12th place at the CCAA Championships, round out Towne’s roster.
