Teddy Kassa was working in a shoe store while wrapping up his AA degree last fall. Saturday, the El Camino Community College transfer was helping to lead the Chico State men's cross country team to its 16th consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Association title.
Kassa, the Wildcat of the Week, earned the CCAA Newcomer of the Year award after finishing fourth overall with a new eight-kilometer cross country personal-best time of 24:35.1.
Kassa ran eighth at the halfway mark, but his 6:07.15 final 2k was the second fastest in the field behind only teammate Kyle Medina, who won the CCAA's individual title.
The third Wildcat across the line on Saturday during a dominant team performance (the fourth-ranked Wildcats crushed 5th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona 18–63), Kassa has now finished among the team's top four in all four outings this season.
He is the seventh Chico State male to earn CCAA Newcomer of the Year honors in the past nine years, joining Will Reyes (2015), Aaron Mora (2013), Aaron Thomas (2012), Johnny Sanchez (2011), Isaac Chavez (2010), and Brent Handa (2009).
Kassa also earned All-CCAA honors for finishing among the top 15.
He and the Wildcats will take this weekend off before travling to Billings, Montana, for the NCAA Championship West Regional on Nov. 4. The top three teams at the Regional will earn automatic berths into the NCAA Championships.
