Many of the Chico State women's cross country team's top runners graduated and moved on during and immediately following the shutdown of California Collegiate Athletic Association athletics during COVID, leaving Head Coach Gary Towne several fast shoes to fill. With the announcement of his exciting six-women 2022 recruiting class, Towne believes his program is racing in the right direction.
 
"This is one of our best women's recruit groups ever, and it comes at a key time in the history of our program," Towne said.
 
Following 12 consecutive CCAA titles and 17 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships in the past 18 seasons, the Wildcats finishes second in the CCAA and 25^th in the nation in 2021. However, they return several top performers from last season. Those student-athletes, along with the incoming sextet of Sienna Bianchi (Sanger High School), Melissa Barajas (Modesto High School), twins Della and Iresh Molina (Chico High School), Jasmine Fletcher (Clackamas High School), and Aurora Barkley (Wilsonville High School and University of Arizona) give Towne hope that the Wildcats are headed in the right direction.
 
"This group is talented, dedicated, and will help us continue our return to the top end of the NCAA," Towne said.
 
Following is a brief biography of each of the six, listed alphabetically, along with a quote from Towne: 
 
Melissa Barajas (Fr., Modesto High School, Modesto)  
A determined competitor, Barajas finished among the top five in every race she ran as a senior leading up to the CIF State Championship final, while developing into one of the top cross country prospects in the Sac Joaquin section. The streak included a Central California Athletic League title and fourth-place finish at the Sac Joaquin Championships, where she ran a blistering 18:57 on the challenging Willow Hills course. On the track Barajas won another league title in the 3,200 meters and placed second in the 1,600. Her uncle, Jose Alfredo Saenz, earned All-America honors for the Wildcats with his 27^th-place finish at the 1999 NCAA Championships.
 
"Melissa came on to my radar when her uncle Jose told me about his niece, an aspiring distance runner. Jose has taken Melissa under his wing since, and she's developed into a very strong competitor. As a sophomore she attended our NCAA Championship in Sacramento, so she knows what Wildcat Family is, and we're happy to have her as a part of it now."  – Gary Towne
 
 
Sienna Bianchi (Fr., Sanger High School, Sanger)  
The County-Metro Athletic Conference Cross Country Champion and fifth-place finisher at the Central Section Valley Championships helped lead Sanger to the state meet. Bianchi blazed to an 18:28 PR over 5,000 meters at the Clovis Invitational. On the track, Bianchi is a two-time CMAC champion in the 1,600 meters and boasts a PR of 5:08 over that distance, along with an impressive 2:17 personal best in the 800 meters.
 
"I've enjoyed following Sienna's high school running journey since I began recruiting her. She's a consistent performer and loves the sport. Her times stack up quite well with what many of our all-time greats were running in high school and there's still a lot of room for improvement. I have also been very impressed with Sienna's leadership qualities, as she was definitely a vital cog in her team's winning culture while at Sanger."  – Gary Towne
 
 
Aurora Barkley (So., University of Arizona)
Barkley blew away the field to win the 2021 Northwest Oregon Conference district meet, covering the 5,000-meter layout in 19:16. A COVID-impacted year led to a mix of track and cross country races during the spring season. During that window Barkley recorded an 18:08 track time in the 5,000 meters and posted a 10,000-meter road race finish of 37:28. She spend last year at the University of Arizona but competed only once due to injuries.  
 
"When Aurora visited Chico I was really impressed with her commitment to running and academics. During the COVID window when racing was on hold and many had difficulty with motivation, Aurora was training hard and making big gains. She's faced a fair number of setbacks in recent months due to injuries, but I'm confident and hopeful that once she's able to enjoy some consistency, she's going to be a great college runner." – Gary Towne
 
 
Jasmine Fletcher (Fr., Clackamas High School, Happy Valley, Oregon)  
After posting a 19:02 PR over 5,000-meters, Fletcher finished her senior cross country campaign with a third-place finish at the Mt. Hood League Championships and a 39^th-place effort at the Oregon State Championships. On the track, Fletch flashed huge personal bests of 2:19, 4:57, and 10:40 over the 800- , 1,500- , and 3,000-meter distances. She won the Mt. Hood League title in the 800 meters and went on to finish 11^th at the Oregon State Championship Meet in the event.
 
"Jasmine's interest in Chico was a pleasant surprise, and thankfully she really enjoyed her campus visit. Given her trajectory and the times that she notched her senior season, we're very excited to see what awaits for her at the college level."  – Gary Towne
 
 
Della Molina (Fr., Chico High School, Chico)  
Among the fastest distance runners in North Section history, Della Molina won six of the 11 cross country races she contested during her senior season, including the Eastern Athletic League Championship. She finished second at the North Section Championships and 16^th at the State Championships in a personal-record 5,000-meter time of 18:32. On the track, Della delivered personal records of 5:08 over 1,600 meters and 11:00 over 3,200 meters before an injury ended her season prior to the halfway point. Still, her 3,200-meter time ranks ninth in North Section history.
 
"Through the years, I've witnessed twins on other teams provide two fifths of a big scoring punch, and I wondered when and if we might someday have that scenario here. I'm pretty confident now that Della and Iresh are going to be a very sturdy cornerstone of our teams in the coming years. Della was the North Section champion in cross country and finished among the Top-20 at state. She's a very capable and hardworking young woman. I'm so excited to get started working with her this fall."  – Gary Towne
 
 
Iresh Molina (Fr., Chico High School, Chico)  
Owner of the fastest 3,200-meter time in Chico High School history, Iresh Molina established herself as one of the most dynamic distance runners in Northern Section history. She won the Eastern Athletic League and North Section titles in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters, and posted a school-record time of 10:48 (second fastest in North Section history) in the 3,200 meters at the Sacramento Meet of Champions. She boasts a 1,600-meter PR of 5:12. On the cross country trails, Iresh Molina won the Northern Section title and finished 23^rd at the state championship on the heels of a runner-up finish at the EAL championships in a 5,000-meter personal-best time of 18:36. 
 
"I've been watching Iresh and her twin sister Della run since they arrived at Chico High School. Iresh has worked extremely hard to turn herself into the fastest 3,200-meter runner in Chico High School history. I have little doubt that Iresh has a lot to look forward to with her college running. She's a tough competitor and her aerobic system is sound. We're so fortunate to have she and her sister staying local for their college experience." – Gary Towne
 
 
Chico State's cross country team opens the 2022 campaign on September 24 at the Cougar Challenge, hosted by Cal State San Marcos.