Last season's struggles left many who follow Chico State cross country wondering where the Johnny Sanchez from 2011 went. Well, heeeeeere's Johnny! And this week's Wildcat of the Week looks like he's better than ever.
Sanchez finished second at the NCAA West Region Championships Saturday in Spokane, Wash., helping the Wildcats earn their 10th regional title in the past 12 years and a spot on the starting line at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23, right back in Spokane.
The junior from Fresno secured his third straight All-West Region accolade, covering the 10-kilometer course in 31:32.17.
This was the kind of result Wildcats fans envisioned year in and year out after Sanchez finished third at the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships, sixth at the West Regional Championships, and 34th at the NCAA Championships as a freshman in 2011.
Sanchez and Head Coach Gary Towne ramped up his training regimen for his sophomore season, but the results were not what they hoped to see. He was still among the team's top runners, but Sanchez slipped to 12th at the CCAA Championships, 21st at the West Regional, and 70th at the NCAA Championships.
As Towne explained, sometimes you have to take one step backward to take two forward. That appears to have been the case with Sanchez.
Beginning with a 25th-place finish at the Stanford Invitational, Sanchez has run among Chico State's top three in every race this season, and Saturday may have marked his best result thus far.
