Connor Fisher's first cross country race of 2017 portends great things for the senior from Lake Isabella (by way of Cuesta Community College) and the Chico State team.
Fisher finished eighth in the 262-man field to lead the Wildcats to a second-place finish out of 32 teams at the UC Riverside Cross Country Invitational Saturday, earning Wildcat of the Week honors in the process.
The second Division II athlete across the line to teammate Kyle Medina, Fisher covered the eight-kilometer UCR Agricultural Operations course in 23:58.3.
After Medina, Fisher, and another Wildcat, Arturo Arevalo, the next best Division II time was posted by Josh Litwiller of Cal State San Marcos, who finished almost a minute behind Fisher in 24:46.5.
Southern Utah, the 16th-ranked team in the nation in Division I, won the race with 30 points. Chico State—ranked No. 4 in the nation in Division II and No. 1 in the West Region—placed second, besting Division I sides Utah Valley, Cal State Fullerton, Loyola Marymount, UC Santa Barbara, Sacramento State, UC Irvine, UC Davis, Alabama, UC Riverside, Cal State Northridge, and Long Beach State, all by a wide margin.
The Wildcats will have next weekend off from competition before tangling with a number of the same programs at the Capital Cross Challenge at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento on Sept. 30.
