CARMEL—The Chico State women's cross country team is coming on strong just as the postseason starts. The Wildcats put together their best race of the season at Saturday's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships Saturday at Palo Corona Regional Park in Carmel. They may have finished second to defending champion and 7^th-ranked Stanislaus State, 39-52, but one thing is crystal clear: the 'Cats are coming!
 
They're coming in bunches. Nine of the top 19 finishers Saturday were Wildcats. Marissa D'Atri placed fourth, Iresh Molina 10^th, Gracie Dupuis 11^th, Hannah Tiffany 12^th, Jaclyn Denham 15^th, Hannah Ryan 16^th, Katie Hawley 17^th, Della Molina 18^th, and Jacqueline Cascione 19^th.
 
Head Coach Gary Towne sees something positive building, and whether he meant to or not, he's putting the teams the Wildcats will be meeting for the rest of the postseason on notice.
 
"It was a really good effort. It probably was our best race of the year," said Towne of his 15^th-ranked team. "We really gained some momentum. They're kind of disappointed in losing, but at the same time, they're really hungry to go out and crush it at regionals and nationals."
 
D'Atri's effort was her best of the season, according to Towne. The senior steeplechase All-American was tasked by Towne with beating Stanislaus State's No. 3 runner, which she did, while earning her second straight All-CCAA Cross Country honor. She covered the six-kilometer course in 21:29.5.
 
Iresh Molina, Dupuis, Tiffany, and Denham also earned All-CCAA accolades. It marked the third such honor for Dupuis, who became the 14^th woman in Chico State history to accomplish that feat. The most recent was Nora Pizzella, whose last CCAA Championship race, in 2019, was Dupuis' first. The junior could become the second in program history to make it four All-CCAA accolades (joining Shannon Rich, 2008-11) should she do it again next season.
 
Towne pointed to the runs of D'Atri, Dupuis, Denham, and Cascione as especially impressive.
 
"Our depth, putting nine in the top 19, they were all hands on deck trying to get the job done. I'm really proud of the effort. They did all they could. We just got beat by a really good team," Towne said. "I told our women after the race they didn't lose that race, they got beat. Stanislaus really went out and won the race."
 
Chico State will attempt to do the same at the NCAA West Regional Championships on Nov. 19 in Billings, Montana. The top three teams there will earn an automatic berth at the NCAA Championships, set for Friday, Dec. 2, in University Place, Washington.
 
Team Results – CCAA Championships
  1. #7 Stanislaus State—39
  2. #15 Chico State—52
  3. #29 Cal State East Bay—83
  4. Cal Poly Pomona—130
  5. Cal State San Marcos—137
  6. Cal Poly Humboldt—163
  7. Cal State San Bernardino—187
  8. Cal State Monterey Bay—197
  9. Sonoma State—208
10. San Francisco State—297
11. Cal State LA—356
 
Individual Results – CCAA Championships
(Top 10 and all Chico State finishers out of 95)
  1. Kaela Dishion (Stanislaus State)—20:54.4
  2. Gianna Bomarito (Sonoma State)—21:11.1
  3. Najwa Chouati (Stanislaus State)—21:20.9
  4. Marissa D'Atri (Chico State)—21:29.5
  5. Rosa Granados (Cal Poly Humboldt)—21:39.7
  6. Chase Worthen (Cal State East Bay)—21:48.1
  7. Kayden Legan (Stanislaus State)—21:53.6
  8. Leza Cassidy (Cal State East Bay)—22:00.6
  9. Yahaira Zuniga (Stanislaus State)—22:03.0
10. Iresh Molina (Chico State)—22:08.1
11. Gracie Dupuis (Chico State)—22:16.5
12. Hannah Tiffany (Chico State)—22:19.3
15. Jaclyn Denham (Chico State)—22:30.2
16. Hannah Ryan (Chico State)—22:35.5
17. Katie Hawley (Chico State)—22:39.1
18. Della Molina (Chico State)—22:41.7
19. Jacqueline Cascione (Chico State)—22:46.6
45. Sophia Pelletier (Chico State)—24:02.8