ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Mario Giannini did it again!

Running in one of the most talented fields during the regular season, the Chico State junior was the top Wildcat finisher and for that he was selected as the FloCollege/CCAA Runner of the Week, his second in this campaign and the third in his career.

Competing at the Lewis Crossover that featured 385 participants from all across NCAA Division II, Giannini went on to place third in the 8K with a time of 23:51.6, missing out on the top of the podium by 2.5 seconds. 

Chico State, ranked eighth during the week, went up against six teams inside the top 25 according to the USTFCCCA. The Wildcats scored 190 points as they beat out No. 13 Pittsburg State, No. 16 Lewis, No. 17 Fort Lewis, No. 18 Northwest Nazarene, No. 21 Florida Southern, No. 23 Walsh, and more. The top five runners for Chico State all placed in the top 63, but Giannini was the only one to break the top 35.

The Wildcats will get a weekend off before welcoming their conference foes for the CCAA Championship. The meet, presented by Pollo Campero, will be held at Hooker Oak Park on October 24.