Chico State Athletics

Most of the season, track & field meets revolve around individual athletes striving to achieve career bests and performances worthy of competing in the NCAA Championships. But when it comes to the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Track & Field Championships, it’s all about the team, as athletes use their individual efforts to rack up the most possible points as a unit to snare the conference crown. Based on what she accomplished last weekend in Los Angeles, Chico State distance runner Amy Schnittger has the concept down pat, scoring 16 points in her two events and breaking a school record to help the Wildcats win its third consecutive CCAA title. Schnittger’s success also earns the junior from Watsonville Wildcat of the Week honors.

Schnittger began the finale of the three-day CCAA Championships in record-setting style, besting race favorite Courtney Anderson of Cal State Stanislaus en route to winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Schnittger’s time of 10:42.65 not only bettered her existing NCAA provisional mark by over four seconds, but it broke Jenna James’ eight-year-old Chico State record in the event. More importantly, her run added 10 big points to the Wildcats’ overall total and kick-started Chico State’s final-day surge to the top of the team point standings.

Later in the day, Schnittger was one of 13 ’Cats which toed the starting line for the all-important 5,000-meter run. She delivered a three-place finish – good for six more team points – with a time of 17:47.24, and combined with fellow Wildcats Alia Gray, Stephanie Consiglio and Jessica Varela to pile up 23 points in the event, putting Chico State over the top and clinching a third straight CCAA Track & Field crown.