SAN FRANCISCO & ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – On opposite sides of the country, the Chico State men's cross country team proved its depth and national pedigree with two strong performances in a busy split-squad weekend. One group of Wildcats claimed the team title at the SF State Invitational on Friday afternoon at Golden Gate Park, while another secured a fourth-place finish against some of the top Division II programs in the country at Saturday's Lewis Crossover in Illinois.
The efforts reinforce Chico State's No. 1 West Region ranking and bolster its case as a national contender heading into the championship stretch.
SF State Invitational (Oct. 10 – Speedway Meadow, San Francisco)
Chico State captured the team championship with a score of 45, edging Azusa Pacific (70) and CUI (77) in a 14-team field. All five Wildcat scorers finished in the top 15 overall, led by senior Anders Beil, who placed 7th in 25:07.9. Teammates Michael Torres (8th) and Xander Schulte-Sasse (9th) followed closely, while Adrian Hipolito (11th) and Nicholas Guzman (14th) rounded out the scoring.
- Team Finish: 1st of 14
- Team Score: 45
- Total Time: 2:06:05
- Average Time: 25:13
Top Chico State Finishers
| Place |
Athlete |
Year |
Time |
| 7th |
Anders Beil |
SR |
25:07.9 |
| 8th |
Michael Torres |
SO |
25:09.0 |
| 9th |
Xander Schulte-Sasse |
FR |
25:10.1 |
| 11th |
Adrian Hipolito |
SO |
25:15.1 |
| 15th |
Nicholas Guzman |
SO |
25:23.4 |
| 19th |
Andrew Stevens |
SO |
25:37.4 |
| 20th |
Joseph DePascale |
JR |
25:40.0 |
| 23rd |
Mason Mullen |
FR |
25:46.4 |
| 29th |
Sean Alliegro |
SO |
25:57.2 |
| 62nd |
Charlie Brennan |
FR |
26:41.2 |
| 74th |
Jacob Camacho |
FR |
26:55.4 |
Lewis Crossover (Oct. 11 – Lewis XC Course, Illinois)
At one of the deepest Division II fields of the regular season, Chico State placed fourth out of 37 teams with a team score of 198. The Wildcats were led by junior Mario Giannini, who ran to a third-place finish in 23:51.52, marking his second top-three finish in as many meets. All five scorers finished in the top 65 overall against a field of more than 400 runners.
Chico State finished just behind nationally ranked teams Colorado Christian, Saginaw Valley State, and Western Washington, and ahead of No. 13 Pittsburg State and host Lewis.
- Team Finish: 4th of 37
- Team Score: 198
Top Chico State Finishers
| Place |
Athlete |
Year |
Time |
| 3rd |
Mario Giannini |
JR |
23:51.52 |
| 40th |
Matthew Gordon |
JR |
24:43.49 |
| 43rd |
Sergio Cuartas III |
SO |
24:46.16 |
| 47th |
Damian Garcia |
JR |
24:49.22 |
| 65th |
Alex Lamoureux |
SO |
24:59.82 |
| 80th |
Travis Selby |
SR |
25:12.87 |
| 86th |
Jesus Villarreal |
SR |
25:15.31 |
Up Next
Chico State will return home to host the 2025 CCAA Championships on Thursday, October 24 at Hooker Oak Park in Chico. The Wildcats will look to defend their conference title on familiar ground in what is expected to be a preview of the West Regional podium.
