KENOSHA, Wisc. – A chilly, overcast morning in Kenosha welcomed hundreds of the nation's top Division II runners, from first-year competitors to seasoned veterans, all ready to toe the line and chase a national title. Among them was the Chico State women's cross country team, which earned its ticket to compete and, despite the challenges of the day, delivered its best finish since 2019.

The Wildcats combined for an eighth-place team finish with a score of 306—marking their first top-10 performance since 2019 and the nineteenth time in program history the team has placed among the nation's elite.

Leading the way was Iresh Molina, who turned in a career-best performance on the national stage, finishing 21st overall in 20:48.3. She was the top finisher from the West Region and earned All-America honors for the third consecutive year.

Only three Wildcats had previous experience competing at the national level, but Chico State's first-time NCAA Championship runners rose to the occasion and left it all out on the course.

Sienna Bianchi made tremendous progress from last year's national race in Sacramento, earning a personal-best national finish in 102nd place (21:51.3). Jasmine Fletcher followed closely behind, finishing 110th (22:09.1) in her second NCAA Championships appearance.

In her national debut, Megan Malloy contributed a crucial scoring performance, placing 42nd among scorers (21:13.0). Freshman Paulina Martins impressed as the Wildcats' leading newcomer, finishing 61st overall, while fellow freshman Kira Forsberg battled to a 129th-place finish to round out the scoring.

Top Chico State Finishers - NCAA DiI Championships