Here's Johnny! And just in time. Two-time All-American Johnny Sanchez ran his best race of the season Saturday to place fourth at the NCAA Championship West Regional and lead the Wildcats to an impressive victory, earning Wildcat of the Week honors in the process.
In doing so, Sanchez became the fifth athlete in the program's history to earn four All-West Region awards. He finished second last season, 21st in 2012 and sixth in 2011.
This season has been a bit of a struggle for him, however. At least until Saturday. Sanchez skipped the season-opening Stanford Invitational because of obligations with the teaching credential program. He finished no higher than fourth among his teammates in the three races the followed heading into the regional championships.
But he was back to his old self on Saturday.
"For Johnny to bounce back and have a solid run was important," said Towne. "We need him to perform at a high level to be at our best."
Sanchez finished in 31:01.2 (a 5-minute mile pace). He'll lead the 4th-ranked Wildcats into the Dec. 6 NCAA Championships in Louisville, Ky., with a chance to become just the fourth athlete in the program's history to earn three All-America awards. He would join Scott Bauhs, Isaac Chavez and Patrick Boivin.
