UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash.—It wasn't quite the storybook ending the Chico State men's cross country team was hoping for, but the Wildcats still delivered a solid performance Friday at the NCAA Division II Championships. Though the 'Cats came up short in their quest for the first national title in program history, head coach Gary Towne's harriers posted an impressive fifth place finish in the season-concluding event at the Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington.
 
The Chico State men improved on its No. 8 ranking from a year ago, and provided the program with its 21st national top 10 season since 1999.
 
Rory Abberton was the big story for the Wildcats Friday. Amidst cold temperatures and a dusting of snow throughout the 10k course, Abberton earned All-America honors with a 25th place finish, stopping the clock at 30:20.0. The winner of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships and an All-West Region recipient, Abberton adds his first career All-America cross country performance to a 1,500-meter All-America effort at last spring's 2022 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
 
Cameron Duquette nearly joined Abberton as an All-America honoree Friday, but finished just out of the money by placing 46th in the 257-runner field with a season-best 10k time of 30:41.0.
 
Brayden McLaughlin was unable to duplicate his All-America cross country run from a year ago. McLaughlin's time of 30:57.1 was good for 72nd place overall.
 
Jack Emanuel's bid for a third career cross country All-America also came up short. The Chico native placed 76th with a time of 30:59.4.
 
Running in his first national championship competition, Daniel Hernandez finished 100th, clocking in at 31:16.7.
 
Joshua O'Neill's time of 31:29.3 was 118th overall, while Omar Alvarez-Hernandez finished 144th with a 10k time of 31:47.2.
 
Colorado School of Mines was the runaway winner of the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, taking the national title with the largest margin of victory in the men's race since 1963. Wingate University of North Carolina finished a distant second, with third place Colorado Christian and fourth place Grand Valley State earning their way onto the awards podium.
 
Individually, Dillon Powell of Colorado School of Mines easily outdistanced the field; his time of 29:28.0 made him the Division II men's cross country national champion.
 
Friday's performance only solidified Chico State standing as one of the finest men's cross country teams in the country. Several of the Wildcats' top runners will be returning in 2023, and with a stable of young talent waiting in the wings, the dream of a national cross country championship could very well be realized next fall.