SAN ANGELO, Tex. - It was another great day to be a Wildcat distance runner Saturday. There have been a number of those days over the past decade, but this one was as good as any we've ever seen. Michael Wickman finished third in the nation in the 800 and 1,500 meters, Shannon McVannel finished fourth in the women's steeplechase, and Beau Rogers finished fifth in the men's steeplechase on the final day of the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships. They all earned All-America honors in the process.

The Chico State men finished ninth in the overall team standings, while the Wildcat women grabbed 21st.

"I'm so proud of those guys," said Wildcats distance coach Gary Towne. "To have all four of those performances on one day was amazing. It was a great day to be a Wildcat."

McVannel set the tone for the 'Cats, battling to a fourth-place finish in the steeple in 10:53.57. She beat CCAA rival Karla Alburez of Cal State L.A. by two seconds. She was nipped at the line by Truman State's Danna Kelly.

Rogers was next and made it back-to-back All-Americans for the Wildcats. He finished fifth overall, crossing the line in 9:06.91.

The 1,500 turned into a tactical affair with the top three finishers - Michael Crouch of Queens College, Aaron Braun of Adams State, and Wickman - separated at the line by fewer than nine-tenths of a second.

The 800-meters was much the same. This time, Wickman crossed the line a half second behind the leader an and six-hundredths of a second out of second place.

Overall Results