It became exceedingly clear last season on the track that Karlie Garcia has the gears necessary to compete at the national championships level.
Garcia finished fifth at the NCAA Track & Field Championships over five kilometers and posted times among the top five in the program's history in the five and 10-kilometer distances.
Garcia is performing at a similar level in his first season as a member of Chico State's cross country program.
The junior from Roseville raced to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA West Region Championships Saturday at Amend Park in Billings, Montana, to earn All-West Region honors and Wildcat of the Week accolades.
Garcia covered the six-kilometer course in 21:20.16 to help lead the Wildcats to their second straight regional title and seventh in the past 14 years.
Garcia and Sadie Gastelum, who finished fifth, ran in the lead pack throughout the race.
Only Gastelum, Ayla Granados, and Alia Gray have finished higher at the regional championships for the Wildcats since 2008.
Garcia will get another crack at All-America honors, this time on the trails, when the Wildcats race at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 19 in St. Leo, Florida.
