If the past is any indication, Wildcat of the Week Kyle Medina has a very bright future with the Chico State men’s cross country team. Medina’s fourth place finish in Saturday’s California Collegiate Athletic Association Cross Country Championships in San Bernardino is tied for the third highest ever by a Chico State freshman behind only four-time All-American Isaac Chavez (2nd in 2010) and two-time All-America teammate Johnny Sanchez (3rd in 2011).
Medina made his way up and down the hilly and hot eight-kilometer course in 25:30, finishing just 17 seconds behind teammate and conference champion Alex McGuirk.
His efforts helped the 3rd-ranked ’Cats collect their 13th straight conference title, matching the 1981-93 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women’s cross country team for the most consecutive conference crowns in the CCAA’s history.
Recruited mostly for his middle-distance domination on the track, Medina has fast become a force to be reckoned with on the trails as well. The redshirt freshman opened the season with a 30th-place finish at the Stanford Invitational (fourth among Wildcats).
He was the team’s second finisher two weeks later at the Charles Bowles Invitational, placing 10th overall. Medina followed up that finish with the team’s second fastest time at the Santa Clara Invitational, a cross country personal-record of 24:13.6, to finish 26th overall.
Medina and the Wildcats will now set their sites on winning their third straight West Regional title and 11th in 13 seasons on Nov. 22 in Billings, Mont. The top six teams there will advance to the NCAA Championships where the Wildcats have finished among the nation’s top six for 12 years in a row.
