ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – Last week, Gary Towne proudly watched his Chico State men's and women's cross country teams sweep the CCAA Championships last week.
 
The Wildcats made sure their longtime head coach was rewarded for assembling two championship-caliber teams.
 
The conference announced that Towne was voted Coach of the Year for both sides on Friday. It is Towne's 16^th straight, 20^th overall, men's coach of the year award while on the women's side it is his second straight and 17^th overall. It is also the 16^th time that Towne swept both awards in a single season. With 37 total CCAA Coach of the Year awards, Towne further distance himself with the most awards for a coach in all conference-sponsored sports.
 
The Wildcat men won their unprecedented 22^nd straight conference championship with 18 points. The first four across the finish line were all Wildcats and placed sixth among the top nine. It was also the team's fourth win in four races when they used their top runners. The Chico State men have been in the top 10 nationally all season and climbed to their highest season rank of No. 6 in the latest poll. 
 
The Chico State women's team has placed in the top 3 of all five races this season, including winning their second consecutive CCAA Championship with 44 points. Twin sisters Della and Iresh Molina finished first and second in the race, giving Chico State its first conference champion since 2019. The Wildcats have also been ranked all season. They are currently No. 1 in the region and No. 13 nationally. 
 
Towne has also put academics at the center of his teams. This year, Hannah Wirth was named the CCAA Elite 13 Winner for Women's Cross Country as she was the student-athlete with the highest GPA in the championships. Last season, 13 Wildcat student-athletes earned a place on the Fall Academic Honor Roll. 
 
This is the 15th consecutive season Towne has been recognized by his peers as CCAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year and the 19th overall. On the women's side, Towne has now won 17 conference Coach of the Year Honors, which included a streak of 12 consecutive. He has received more coach of the year honors than any other coach in conference history.
 
Towne has his teams preparing for the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, Nov. 9, in Billings, Mont. The men are the defending champions, and the women placed third last year. Both teams will enter the meet as the favorites.