The track and field season is a slow build. And for the Chico State women's track and field team, the idea is to have the foundation secure and then to blow the roof off at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. The Wildcats did just that last weekend, winning their eighth straight CCAA title behind a bunch of season and career-best marks.
Jami Duarte's performance Saturday provides the perfect microcosm of just that. The senior from Granite Bay is Wildcat of the Week after scoring in both the discus and shot put with season-best efforts in her final collegiate meet.
Duarte was seeded eighth in the shot put and finished eighth with a season-best throw of 11.90 meters. It was her effort in the discus that was truly remarkable. Seeded 11th, Duarte unleashed a throw of 39.35 meters and finished sixth, picking up three more valuable points toward the Wildcats' team total.
Duarte wrapped up her career with five scoring efforts over four consecutive seasons at the CCAA Championships, and because Chico State athletes are prone to do what Duarte did on Saturday, she also finished as a four-time CCAA Champion.
