UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington—The Chico State men's cross country team tasted a bit of its own medicine Saturday, all the while, continuing to give its West Region competition headaches. Top-ranked Colorado School of Mines dominated Saturday's D2 Pre-Nationals, taking six of the top nine places and the team title with ease, outscoring the fifth-ranked Wildcats 19-83. The Wildcats have been the team dishing out that sort of beating in its first two races of the season—both overpowering team wins. And in many ways that trend continued. After tenth-ranked Western Colorado (91 points), no other team showed the ability to challenge the speed of Chico State over the 8,000-meter course at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington.
 
Western Washington—ranked No. 20 in the country—was the next highest finisher from the West Region, in fourth place with 143 points. Cal Poly Pomona, ranked No. 25, finished in fifth place with 158 points and was the next-highest finishing California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) program. The top five Chico State finishers all crossed the line ahead of the third-place runner from every team in the 27-team field outside of Colorado Mines and Western Colorado.
 
Rory Abberton led the way for the Wildcats with a 10^th-place finish, captured with an impressive finish. Jack Emanuel placed 11^th, Omar Alvarez-Hernandez 16^th, Brayden McLaughlin 22^nd, and Daniel Hernandez 26^th.
 
In the Open Race, which began the day, Chico State scored a 49-56 victory over NAIA No. 11 Lewis-Clark State College for the team title. Brian Hastings, Anders Beil, and Travis Selby led the way by finishing 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th, respectively. Jayden Olea came in 16^th, and Ethan Crouch completed the team's scoring in 34^th.
 
The site of Saturday's races, which is along the shores of the Puget Sound, will also be the site of the NCAA Championships on Dec. 2. But before that, the Wildcats will look to win their 20^th consecutive CCAA title on Nov. 5 at Palo Corona Regional Park in Carmel; and their sixth consecutive NCAA West Regional Championship on Nov. 19 at Amend Park in Billings, Montana.
 
Team Results – Top 10 of 27 Teams – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Invitational
1. #1 Colorado Mines—19
2. #5 Chico State—83
3. #10 Western Colorado—91
4. #20 Western Washington—143
5. #25 Cal Poly Pomona—158
6. #22 Simon Fraser—174
7. Biola—229
8. Colorado Mesa—243
9. Black Hills State—270
10. Concordia University Irvine—307
 
Individual Results – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Invitational
(Top 10 and all Chico State finishers out of 217)
  1. Dillon Powell (Colorado School of Mines)—23:19.80
  2. Loic Scomparin (Colorado School of Mines)—23:36.00
  3. Duncan Fuehne (Colorado School of Mines)—23:39.20
  4. Cole Nash (Alaska Anchorage)—23:47.40
  5. Luke Julian (Colorado School of Mines)—23:49.30
  6. Simon Kelati (Western Colorado)—23:55.50
  7. Charlie Dannatt (Simon Fraser)—24:00.70
  8. Steven Goldy (Colorado School of Mines)—24:01.30
  9. Chris Cathcart (Colorado School of Mines)—24:03.20
10. Rory Abberton (Chico State)—24:04.10
11. Jack Emanuel (Chico State)—24:06.10
16. Omar Alvarez-Hernandez (Chico State)—24:18.10
22. Brayden McLaughlin (Chico State)—24:31.10
26. Daniel Hernandez (Chico State)—24:40.70
43. Cameron Duquette (Chico State)—24:59.80
72. Joshua O'Neill (Chico State)—25:23.20
82. Bennett Woodward (Chico State)—25:28.90
 
Team Results – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Open
1. Chico State—49
2. Lewis-Clark State—56
3. Lane Community College—84
4. Western Washington—91
5. Club Northwest—96
6. Husky Running Club—132
7. Green River College—183
 
Individual Results – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Open
(Top 10 and all Chico State finishers out of 119)
  1. Aaron Ahl (unattached)—24:45.10
  2. Mathew Knight (unattached)—25:04.00
  3. Ben Pollard (Club Northwest)—25:14.50
  4. Logan Auxier (Lane CC)—25:18.40
  5. Brian Hastings (Chico State)—25:22.10
  6. Anders Beil (Chico State)—25:24.40
  7. Travis Selby (Chico State)—25:25.80
  8. Wiley Watts (unattached)—25:27.70
  9. Leo Rutledge (unattached)—25:29.30
10. Brennan Donahue (unattached)—25:32.60
16. Jayden Olea (Chico State)—25:48.30
34. Ethan Crouch (Chico State)—26:30.00
43. Michael Ramirez (Chico State)—26:53.80