During its 17-year run atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship podium, the Chico State men's cross country program has often featured a handful of student-athletes that might lead the pack at some CCAA schools but do not even make the Wildcats' postseason roster. Most of those who stick with the program eventually grow into athletes ready to lead the Wildcats to a title down the road. Wildcat of the Week Matthew Herrera is a perfect example.
Herrera finished 42nd overall at last season's Capital Cross Challenge with a time of 25:18.1. The 11th Wildcat to cross the line that day, Herrera's time would have been the fastest or second fastest for three of the other four CCAA programs in the field.
In Herrera's three regular-season efforts of 2018, the sophomore finished with times ranking 10th, 11th, and 12th in the program, and when it came time for postseason roster decisions, Herrera just missed the cut.
In this his junior campaign, Herrera looks poised ready to run for some titles. He opened the season with an impressive third-place finish at the Stump Invitational. At Saturday's Capital Cross Challenge, Herrera put together his best collegiate performance yet, covering the eight-kilometer course in 24:15.4—eclipsing his personal record by better than 30 seconds and his time at last season's Capital Cross Challenge by more than a minute—to finish sixth overall, fourth among Division II athletes in the field, and second among Wildcats. His time was also more than 10 seconds better than each of the top finisher from 31 of the other 34 programs in the field.
