MONMOUTH, Ore. – The top-ranked team in the West Region lived up to its billing Saturday morning at Ash Creek Preserve, as the Chico State men's cross country team dominated the Mike Johnson XC Classic with a first-place team finish in a 13-team field. The meet served as an early preview of the NCAA West Regional, which will return to the same course in November.
Sophomore Sergio Cuartas III led a deep and balanced Wildcat lineup, placing fourth overall in 23:57.6. Chico State packed five runners inside the top nine to post a team score of 34—outdistancing second-place Northwest Nazarene (40 points) and averaging 24:13 across its scoring five.
Chico State Team Summary
- Team Finish: 1st of 13
- Team Score: 34 points
- Total Time: 2:01:05
- Average Time: 24:13
Chico State Finishers – Mike Johnson XC Classic (Men's 8k)
| Place |
Athlete |
Year |
Time |
| 4th |
Sergio Cuartas III |
SO-2 |
23:57.6 |
| 6th |
Damian Garcia |
JR-3 |
24:15.7 |
| 7th |
Travis Selby |
SR-4 |
24:16.6 |
| 8th |
Jesus Villarreal |
SR-4 |
24:16.9 |
| 9th |
Matthew Gordon |
JR-3 |
24:18.3 |
| 17th |
Emmanuel Wallace |
FR-1 |
24:36.4 |
| 19th |
Adrian Hipolito |
SO-2 |
24:37.8 |
| 24th |
Alex Lamoureux |
SO-2 |
24:40.8 |
| 25th |
Xander Schulte-Sasse |
FR-1 |
24:41.4 |
| 27th |
Andrew Stevens |
SO-2 |
24:44.1 |
| 33rd |
Mason Mullen |
FR-1 |
25:04.7 |
| 36th |
Joseph DePascale |
JR-3 |
25:09.8 |
| 44th |
Michael Torres |
SO-2 |
25:22.0 |
| 53rd |
Jacob Camacho |
FR-1 |
25:35.1 |
| 62nd |
Sean Alliegro |
SO-2 |
26:05.8 |
| 67th |
Anders Beil |
SR-4 |
25:53.5 |
| 96th |
Charlie Brennan |
FR-1 |
26:27.5 |
| 152nd |
Blake Webster |
SO-2 |
27:12.6 |
| — |
Ethan Valhe |
SR-4 |
DNF |
Chico State was one of four regionally ranked teams in the race and finished well ahead of No. 5 Northwest Nazarene, No. 9 Fresno Pacific, and No. 10 Western Oregon. It marked another impressive outing for a group that continues to build momentum toward the championship portion of the season.
Up Next
Chico State will split its squad for its next competition. One group will head to San Francisco for the SF State Invitational on Thursday, October 10, with the men's race scheduled for 4:15 p.m. at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. The other group will travel to Romeoville, Illinois for the Lewis Crossover, set for Friday, October 11, at 8 a.m. Pacific Time at the Lewis Cross Country Course.
