Gary Towne has been building championship cross country teams at Chico State for well over two decades. He is so revered by his harriers that the mantra "In Towne We Trust" is warmly embraced by nearly every student-athlete that has run for him over the years. The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) obviously feels the same way. On the heels of the Wildcats winning their 20th consecutive CCAA Men's Cross Country crown, the conference Friday named Towne the 2022 CCAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
 
This is hardly the first time the conference has recognized Towne for his outstanding work. Thursday's award marked the 14th consecutive season he has been named CCAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, and 19th overall. Add in the 15 times he's been named the CCAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, and Towne's personal conference awards tally is a staggering 34 overall.
 
This season, Chico State has won three of its four races and placed second in the other to the No. 1 team in the country at the October 22 NCAA D2 Pre-National meet. Wildcat student-athletes have won CCAA Runner of the Week honors each week they competed.
 
The Chico State men's cross country team extended their record-setting CCAA win streak November 5 by taking top honors at Palo Corona Regional Park in Carmel. No other conference program—regardless of sport—has won as many consecutive CCAA titles.
 
Towne has the Chico State men positioned perfectly to make a big run at the upcoming NCAA West Regional, taking place November 19 in Billings, Montana. The Wildcats, looking to earn the program's 23rd straight berth to the NCAA Championship Finals, will be entering the event ranked No. 1 in the West and No. 3 in the nation in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls.