Omar Alvarez-Hernandez was the No. 4 runner on his team at Maria Carillo High School. It's safe to say that he's improved since choosing to attend Chico State. This weekend, he was the No. 1 runner in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The sophomore set a Division II course record at the Bronco Invitational at Baylands Regional Park in Sunnyvale, covering the eight kilometers in 23:34.8. The CCAA Runner of the Week finish third out of 215 runners, second out of collegiate student-athletes, and first among NCAA Division II athletes.
 
That effort led the Wildcats to the team win in the Division-I laden 26-team field with the fastest team time, regardless of division, in Bronco Invitational history, breaking Oklahoma State's record. Chico State easily won the team title with 54 points. The Wildcats were followed by Weber State (120), Nevada (129), LMU (133) and Cal Poly (167) in the top five.
 
Xander Olivero, who was running unattached, had the top individual time in the race at 23:30.4. The top collegiate time belonged to Michael Phillips of Long Beach State at 23:32.5. Alvarez-Hernandez was close behind, and eight seconds ahead of the closest Division II competitor.
 
This marked the second consecutive top-10 finish to start the season for Alvarez-Hernandez, who finished fifth at the season-opening Cougar Challenge while leading the Wildcats to victory. It marked the first time he's been the first among his teammates to cross the line. During a very successful freshman season, Alvarez-Hernandez posted four top-20 finishes in six events, earning All-CCAA and All-West Region accolades along the way.
 
Alvarez-Hernandez and the Wildcats will take part in the NCAA Division II Pre-Nationals this Saturday at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington. That will mark their final race prior to the postseason, which begins with the CCAA Championships on Nov. 5.