Johnny Sanchez had to wait awhile before making his official Chico State debut, but the redshirt freshman made it one to remember – and provided the proof that there are even better runs to come. Sanchez placed second Saturday at the season-opening Humboldt Invitational, finishing just 1.3 seconds behind Wildcat teammate Anthony Costales at Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad. The outstanding run was more than enough for Sanchez to be named Wildcat of the Week.
Sanchez finished the 8k race with a time of 25:05.15, and was the second of nine Chico State runners to place in the top 10. He helped the Wildcats dominate the competition, as the team won the Humboldt Invitational by a wide margin over the event’s host school, Humboldt State.
Sanchez and the Chico State men’s cross country team will take to the trails again on Sept. 24, as the Wildcats travel to Palo Alto to compete in the Stanford Invitational.