BILLINGS, Mont.—Two weeks after delivering its finest effort to date at the CCAA Championships, the Chico State women's cross country team turned in another outstanding performance Saturday when it really, really counted—and as a result, the 2022 season continues on. The Wildcats dug deep in frigid weather at Amend Park in Billings, Montana to place second at the NCAA West Regional, securing the program's 22nd consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship finals.
 
The 'Cats were nosed out of the top spot Saturday by Stanislaus State, which outpointed Chico State by a slim 91-93 margin. Despite being the runner-up, the Chico State women's track team still adds to an impressive streak that features 15 straight top three West Region finishes, and 21st in the last 22 seasons.
 
Three Wildcats runners delivered All-West Region performances Saturday. Marissa D'Atri finished third in the 100-runner field, running the 6k course in a time of 21:05.36, adding another All-West Region accolade to the one she won in 2021.
 
Gracie Dupuis clocked in at 21:33.11 Saturday, good for 11th place overall and her first All-West Region award since 2019.
 
Freshman Iresh Molina, coming off a top 10 finish at the CCAA Cross Country Championships, placed 21st Saturday (21:45.22) to earn her first career All-West Region award.
 
Della Molina came within a whisker of joining her sister as a 2022 All-West Region runner, finishing 27th with a time of 21:53.68. Hannah Tiffany (22:00.06) and Hannah Ryan (22:19.82) placed 31st and 45th, respectively, while Jaclyn Denham rounded out the Wildcat harriers in Billings with a 65th place showing and a 6k time of 22:42.80.
 
In less than two weeks, the Chico State women's cross country team will be among the talented field vying for the Division II national crown at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships, taking place Friday, December 2 at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington. The 'Cats enter the competition having finished in the national top 10 five of the last six seasons, including consecutive top four finishes from 2016–2018.

36th Annual Pacific Association Cross Country Championships
 
On Sunday, seven members of the Chico State women's cross country team competed in San Francisco at the 36th annual Pacific Association Cross Country Championships, which took place at Lindley Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Katie Hawley turned in the Wildcats' top time in the four-mile event, finishing 20th in the 167-runner field with a time of 23:16.
 
Jasmine Fletcher's time of 24:05 was good for 29th place overall, while Avery Lambrite (24:07) and Jacqueline Cascione (24:27) placed 32th and 38th, respectively. Jennifer Ruiz finished 42nd with a time of 24:45; Esmeralda Aguayo Ruiz (25:19) came in 54th, and Natalie Dinin posted a 74th place finish with a time of 26:46.