Chico State men’s cross country Head Coach Gary Towne had high hopes for freshman runner Isaac Chavez in 2010. After redshirting the former Barstow High School star last year, Towne let Chavez loose on the collegiate stage this fall, and he has certainly not disappointed, winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Newcomer of the Year Award and putting together four consecutive top 10 finishes, including a team-best fourth place showing Saturday at the NCAA West Regionals in Bellingham, Wash. His efforts to help Chico State reach the NCAA Championships for the 12th straight season has earned Chavez the Wildcat of the Week award.
Under cold conditions with snow surrounding the 10,000-meter Lake Padden course, Chavez posted a time of 31:44.9, finishing about seven seconds in front of Wildcat teammate Brenda Handa, who came in fifth. All told, four Chico State runners – Chavez, Handa, Joey Kochlacs and Anthony Costales – earned All-West Region honors, as the Wildcats finished second in the overall team standings.
Although Chico State fell short of its ninth straight regional crown, the performances of Chavez and the rest of the Wildcats were more than enough to qualify Chico State for the CCAA Cross Country Championships, taking place Saturday, Dec. 4 at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville.
