Chico State Athletics

As she toed the starting line Friday at the San Francisco Distance Carnival's 5,000-meter run, Chico State women's distance runner Karlie Garcia was about to compete in her first track & field meet since 2013, when she was a senior in high school. The sophomore from Roseville made an immediate impact, entering the Wildcat record books and posting an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark on the way to a third place finish in the 5k at Cox Stadium. Garcia's impressive Chico State debut makes her the latest Wildcat of the Week.
 
Garcia made her initial race in a Wildcat uniform a truly memorable one, finishing the 5k in 16:40.22 – the fifth-fastest time in the event in Chico State history. The effort was also the top time by a 5k runner in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and the fifth-best time among all Division II runners so far this season.
 
Garcia has had to wait a long time since competing at Oakmont High School in Roseville. The prep standout had attended the University of Mississippi and Southern Utah University, but a string of injuries had curtailed her college career. Garcia transferred to Chico State in the fall and sat out the 2015 cross country season, but as she proved last week, she's ready to provide the Wildcat track & field faithful with plenty of thrills in the years to come.
 
Garcia and the rest of the Chico State women's track & field team returns to action this Friday and Saturday as the Wildcats host the annual Chico Distance Carnival and Twilight Invitational.