Chico State Athletics

Alexandria Tucker is determined to earn an invitation to next month's NCAA Track & Field Championships. The sophomore distance runner notched a provisional mark in the 5,000-meter run at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic earlier this season, but Tucker evidently wasn't satisfied that would be enough to reach the national meet. 

The San Ramon product left little doubt Thursday at the Mt. SAC Relays, scoring a strong provisional time in the 10,000-meter run while also etching her name in the Chico State women's track & field record book. 

Her outstanding performance on the oval makes Tucker the latest Wildcat of the Week.

Running at Murdock Stadium on the campus of El Camino College, Tucker completed the 10k Invitational competition with a personal-best time of 35:11.01, finishing 29th in a Division I-heavy 46-runner field. 

The effort marks the top time 10k time among California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) runners this season, and 10th-best throughout all of Division II in 2019. It also put Tucker in the Chico State record books with the sixth-fastest 10k time ever by a Wildcat.

Tucker and the Wildcats now will take advantage of a bye week to prepare for the CCAA Track & Field Championships, taking place May 2–4 at Triton Stadium in La Jolla. She finished fourth in the 10k at last season's CCAA Championships despite missing out on valuable mid-season training due to an injury.