Chico State Athletics

If you get just one last tune-up before competing for the conference title, why not set a record while you’re at it? Chico State women’s track and field star Kara Lubieniecki, in her final run prior to this weekend’s California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship, did just that Sunday at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, earning an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark in the 1,500-meter run while beating her previous Chico State record time in the event. Lubieniecki’s memorable performance has earned the senior from Lakewood, Colo. Wildcat of the Week honors.

Competing in a section that included nine Division I runners, Lubieniecki finished fifth in the 1,500-meters, posting a time of 4:27.68 – nearly two seconds better than her Provisional mark run earlier this year and .78 seconds faster than her Chico State record of 4:28.46 set during the 2010 season.

Lubieniecki, who is already assured on an invitation to the NCAA Track and Field Championship later this monh thanks to an Automatic Qualifying mark in the 5,000-meter run, turned in the fifth-fastest time in the 1,500 among Division II runners this year with Sunday’s effort, and was just .18 seconds shy from earning an NCAA Automatic Qualifying mark.