BARSTOW – When Isaac Chavez put pen to paper and signed his name at the bottom of a National Letter of Intent to attend Chico State University, he immediately became the most highly-touted distance runner ever to do so. And that was before he capped his illustrious prep career by finishing eighth in the state’s 3,200-meter championship by covering the two-mile course in 8:57, which is the 13th fastest prep time in the United States in 2009.

“Isaac was the top recruit on our wish list all year and I’m completely ecstatic that he has chosen to continue his academic and athletic pursuits at Chico State,” said Wildcats Head Coach Gary Towne. “Isaac has so many great qualities that point toward a wonderful future in the sport of running.”

As a junior, Chavez finished second at the Southern Section Cross Country Championships to teammate and Chico State-bound senior Anthony Solis. They had identical times of 15:01. He then finished fifth at the state championships.

This year, he won the Southern Section title and rode that wave of momentum to a second-place finish at the state championships. His time of 15:15 is the fastest time ever recorded by a Chico State recruit on the fabled Woodward Park layout.

Chavez parlayed that success on the trails into even more success on the track. His 3,200-meter personal best time dropped from 9:11, to 9:06, to 9:04, before his astounding 8:57 at the state championships. He is Chico State’s first recruit to break the nine-minute barrier. As a point of reference, Scott Bauhs, the most successful distance runner in Chico State history, recorded a PR of 9:07 as a prep.

Perhaps Chavez’s greatest achievement, and one of the things that excites Towne most about him, is that he helped the Barstow program win four consecutive state titles.

“His ability to consistently run at a high level is what really stands out to me,” said Towne. “As we work toward making a run at an NCAA (cross country) team title, Isaac’s experience with helping the Barstow program win four straight titles will surely help our changes of achieving that goal.”

Chico State fans will have a chance to see Chavez at work at the USATF Junior Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, on June 28. He’ll compete in the 5,000-meter final on Sunday June 28 at 4:50 p.m. in Eugene, Oregon.