EUGENE, Ore. - The past, present and future of the Chico State men's distance running program will be on display for the whole nation to see at the USA Track & Field Championships beginning Thursday in Eugene, Oregon. Recent signee Isaac Chavez will run in the Men's Junior 5,000-meter final, Anthony Solis - who redshirted in both cross country and track in 2008-09 - will run in the Men's Junior 10,000-meter final, four-time All-American Michael Wickman will compete in the 1,500-meter National Championships, and Wildcat alums Scott Bauhs and Charlie Serrano will compete for the 10,000-meter title.

The Junior Championships, which include Chavez and Solis (former Barstow High School teammates) will consist of  top athletes 19 years of age and under.  The Senior Championships will include a mix of top collegiates and Pro’s.  On the line for the Seniors is a trip to the upcoming World Championships to be held in Berlin, Germany in August.  The top three in each final will earn a spot in the World Championships assuming they have achieved the qualifying standards that the IAAF requires for their respective event.  The top two finishers in each Junior race will earn spots on the U.S. team for the upcoming Pan American Games, which will be contested in Trinidad from July 31-August 2nd.

The 10,000-meter final, featuring Bauhs and Serrano, is set to go off at 8:30 on Thursday night. This is the race Bauhs has been tuning up for  since he turned pro back in November. He's put together career-best performances in the 1,500-meters, 3,000-meters, and 5,000-meters in the months leading up to Thursday, and will look to better his 10,000-meter PR of 27:48 and earn a spot in the World Championships. He was a three-time National Champion at Chico State.

Serrano, the 2007 National 5,000-meter Champion for the Wildcats, has enjoyed his best professional track season to date. He qualified for the USA Championship by winning his heat of the Payton Jordan Invitational a few weeks ago in 28:39.

Wickman, a four-time All-American with the Wildcats, finished third at the NCAA Championships in the 1,500-meters and 800-meters this spring. His 1,500-meter PR of 3:43.52 was the fastest recorded by a Division II runner in the nation this year, and qualified him for one of 50 spots at the USATF Championships. First-round heats start Thursday at 7:05 p.m.

Solis, who Towne believes has a legitimate chance to grab one of the two trips to the Pan American Games, will make his bid Saturday at 6:55 p.m.

Chavez, the most decorated distance runner ever to sign with the Wildcats, will make his Chico State distance family debut in the Junior 5,000-meter final Sunday at 4:50 p.m. On paper Chavez appears to be ranked at about mid-pack, though Towne has this advice for the Chico State faithful: "...don't count out this scrappy young runner who will certainly mix it up for as long as he is able."

Important Links:
 
General Info on Senior Meet:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/
 
Junior Meet:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAJuniorOutdoorTFChampionships/
 
Meet Schedule Link: http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/schedule.asp
 
Senior Entrants:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/entry/status.asp
 
Junior Entrants:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAJuniorOutdoorTFChampionships/entry/status.asp
 
Live Internet Coverage, Including Post race interviews:
www.flotrack.com <http://www.flotrack.com>

Television Coverage Schedule
http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/