Isaac Chavez, a freshman from Barstow, Calif., posted the second fastest 10,000-meter time in Chico State history in his first 10k race in a Wildcat uniform Friday, finishing fifth overall during the Stanford Invitational in 29:30.06. He's been named Wildcat of the Week for his effort.
Chavez missed an NCAA automatic qualifying mark by a mere six seconds, but came in more than a minute under the provisional qualifying standard. Only current professional Scott Bauhs has run faster in a Chico State uniform. Only a trio of University of Colorado runners and an athlete from Xavier finished higher than Chavez in a Division-I heavy field 50 runners strong. Western Washington's Bennett Grimes was the next highest finishing Division II competitor in 17th place nearly 30 seconds behind Chavez.
Friday’s run was the first competition for Chavez since finishing fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last winter. He will now almost certainly toe the line at the NCAA Track & Field Championships this May in Turlock thanks to his fantastic effort Friday.
