UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington—The NCAA Division II Pre-Nationals is a race designed to give teams a practice run on the National Championship course. After Saturday's fourth-place finish, the Chico State women's cross country team is hoping that practice leads to a better performance when the NCAA Championships do take place on December 2.
The 12
th-ranked Wildcats showed up to the race shorthanded, without three of their top performers. The remaining Wildcats worked hard to remain competitive. Marissa D'Atri finished 14
th in the 224-runner field, Gracie Dupuis 32
nd, Hannah Tiffany 33
rd, Hannah Ryan 60
th, and Jaclyn Denham 74
th.
Still, Chico State finished behind 3
rd-ranked Colorado School of Mines (37 points), 11
th-ranked Western Colorado (88 points), and 20
th-ranked Biola (151 points). Chico State held off Cal State East Bay for fourth place in the 29-team field that included five teams ranked among the nation's top 30 and six others ranked among their respective region's top 10.
The Wildcats' highlight of the day took place in the Open Race, which took place just prior to the invitational. Chico State's Jacqueline Cascione captured her first collegiate victory, besting Lewis-Clark College's Geraldin Correa by a five-second margin. That effort helped the Wildcats capture the Open Race team title by a single point over Club Northwest, 39-40.
Sophie Pelletier placed fourth for Chico State, Jasmine Fletcher eighth, Hannah Wirth 13
th, Esmeralda Aguayo Ruiz 15
th, Jennifer Ruiz 19
th, Avery Lambrite 21
st, and Paulina Guerrero 40
th out of 67 finishers.
The site of Saturday's races, which is along the shores of the Puget Sound, will also be the site of the NCAA Championships. But before that, the Wildcats will fight for the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship on Nov. 5 at Palo Corona Regional Park in Carmel and the NCAA West Regional Championship on Nov. 19 at Amend Park in Billings, Montana.
Team Results – Top 10 of 29 Teams – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Invitational
1. #3 Colorado Mines—37
2. #11 Western Colorado—88
3. #20 Biola—151
4. #12 Chico State—194
5. Cal State East Bay—213
6. Westminster—223
7. Concordia University Irvine—227
8. #20 Western Washington—242
9. Simon Fraser—246
10. Alaska Fairbanks—297
Individual Results – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Invitational
(Top 10 and all Chico State finishers out of 224)
1. Naomi Bailey (Alaska Fairbanks)—20:46.10
2. Katie Doucette (Western Colorado)—20:55.10
3. Zoe Baker (Colorado School of Mines)—20:56.00
4. Clare Peters (Colorado School of Mines)—20:59.60
5. Gianna Bomarito (Sonoma State)—20:59.80
6. Kendall Kramer (Alaska Fairbanks)—21:03.40
7. Molly Maksin (Colorado School of Mines)—21:07.90
8. Holly Moser (Colorado School of Mines)—21:10.20
9. Alison Beasley (Western Colorado)—21:16.60
10. Kira MacGill (Colorado Mesa)—21:22.40
14. Marissa D'Atri (Chico State)—21:30.90
32. Gracie Dupuis (Chico State)—22:01.00
33. Hannah Tiffany (Chico State)—22:01.80
60. Hannah Ryan (Chico State)—22:35.30
74. Jaclyn Denham (Chico State)—22:51.10
Team Results – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Open
1. Chico State—39
2. Club Northwest—40
3. Lewis-Clark College—69
4. Lane Community College—92
5. Green River College—146
Individual Results – NCAA D2 Pre-Nationals Open
(Top 10 and all Chico State finishers out of 67)
1. Jacqueline Cascione (Chico State)—22:43.70
2. Geraldin Correa (Lewis-Clark College)—22:48.90
3. Claire Wendle (Club Northwest)—22:52.00
4. Sophie Pelletier (Chico State)—22:52.90
5. Brooklyn Shell (Lewis-Clark College)—23:03.30
6. Megan Hever (Club Northwest)—23:04.00
7. Emily Peterson (Club Northwest)—23:04.30
8. Jasmine Fletcher (Chico State)—23:08.50
9. Cammeo Ramirez (Lane CC)—23:12.10
10. Saundra Parsons (Lace CC)—23:18.70
13. Hannah Wirth (Chico State)—23:27.50
15. Esmeralda Aguayo Ruiz (Chico State)—23:34.70
19. Jennifer Ruiz (Chico State)—23:50.20
21. Avery Lambrite (Chico State)—23:54.80
40. Paulina Guerrero (Chico State)—25:34.60
