SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — With one kilometer remaining at Friday's Bill Dellinger Invitational, the Chico State women's cross country team sat in fifth place, trailing a pair of Division I programs in a tightly contested team race.
Less than four minutes later, the Wildcats had passed them both.
Behind a remarkable collective effort and a furious closing kilometer, Chico State surged to third place with 115 points, finishing behind only host Oregon (25), ranked No. 7 nationally in Division I, and the University of Victoria (95), Canada's top-ranked university program. The Wildcats edged UC Irvine (118), ranked No. 13 in the Division I West Region, by just three points and finished ahead of California (133), Weber State (152), and several other Division I programs.
The result was made all the more impressive by the fact that Chico State had just six women on the starting line, with illness sidelining seven-time All-American Della Molina.
The Wildcats found themselves buried in 10th place at the opening kilometer, with their five scorers combining for 243 points. They remained 10th through 2K before beginning a remarkable climb through the field.
By halfway, Chico had advanced to seventh. At 4K, the Wildcats were 6th. With one kilometer remaining, they had moved into 5th, their score dropping to 127 points.
One final surge brought that total down to 115, completing a comeback that saw Chico State improve its team score by 128 points from the first checkpoint to the finish.
Head coach Gary Towne, following the race remotely while traveling with Chico State's other squad, had a front-row seat to the drama.
"We were watching it live on my laptop on the bus, and I had about half the bus gathered around the computer," Towne said. "We were a little concerned early because it looked like we were completely buried. But every time another checkpoint came through, they were making up positions, and everybody on the bus started cheering."
Leading the charge was senior Megan Malloy, who produced one of the most impressive individual performances of the meet.
Megan Malloy with 2k remaining
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Malloy found herself in 61st place after the opening kilometer. By 2K, she had climbed to 39th, and by halfway, she was up to 26th. She continued picking off runners throughout the second half before unleashing one of the fastest closing kilometers in the entire field.
Covering the final 1,000 meters in 3:23.0, Malloy surged from 15th to 8th over the final kilometer, crossing the line in 20:48.7. Her 53-place improvement earned her a top-eight finish against a field loaded with Division I talent.
"I think this was one of the lower-confidence races I've had," Malloy said. "I'd had a really long week, and I wasn't entirely sure where my fitness was. I just had to trust the training I'd put in."
Once the gun went off, however, those doubts quickly began to disappear.
"I kept having to tell myself to be patient," Malloy explained. "At one point, I remember thinking, 'Wow, I only have two miles left to make this work.' Then I realized, 'Oh, I have two miles left. That's a lot of time.'"
That patience was a common theme throughout the Wildcat lineup, as the women steadily worked their way through the field and found one another during the middle stages of the race.
Teammate Paulina Martins delivered another exceptional performance up front, finishing 11th in 20:57.3. Together, Martins and Malloy gave Chico State two finishers among the top 11, providing a strong foundation for the Wildcats' team score.
Behind the leading duo, senior Sienna Bianchi continued the charge, finishing 25th in 21:24.5. Kira Forsberg followed in 36th (21:37.1), with Olivia Beschorner rounding out the scoring five in 40th (21:40.4). Catherine McGuire completed the Wildcat lineup in 56th (21:56.6).
Forsberg's performance was particularly remarkable. After finding herself in 93rd place at the opening kilometer, she passed an astonishing 57 runners on her way to the finish, the largest improvement in position of anyone in the field.
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| Kira Forsberg and Olivia Beschorner move up the field |
For Bianchi, the performance represented more than another successful race. Now in her final collegiate cross country season, the senior has embraced a different mentality, trading the pressure and uncertainty of competition for a greater appreciation of the experience.
"I'm tired of going into races with so much fear," Bianchi said. "We're so experienced now, and I know I have the preparation and strength to push through, even when my body doesn't feel 100 percent."
Rather than simply enduring the discomfort of racing, Bianchi has learned to appreciate it.
"At one point I was hurting, but I thought, 'I want to feel this pain,'" she said. "I'm going to miss this one day, being out there looking for my teammates and trying to move up together. I just want to be present and enjoy it."
That sense of togetherness has become a defining characteristic of a Chico State team whose success extends well beyond the performances of any one athlete.
For Malloy, the relationships within the program have been just as important as the miles of training that prepared them for Friday's performance.
"It's such a special environment," Malloy said. "We're surrounded by so many hardworking, driven women, and we're all there for each other. That's why it works."
Bianchi echoed that sentiment, reflecting on the friendships and shared experiences that have shaped her time as a Wildcat.
"They mean the world to me," Bianchi said. "We've all overcome so much together. When we're out there, it feels like we're running for one another and believing in one another."
For a team coming off an eighth-place finish at last year's NCAA Division II Championships, Friday's performance offered another encouraging glimpse of what might lie ahead as the Wildcats approach the championship portion of their season.
"I'm very proud of them," Towne said. "With every week and every race, I get a little more confident in what they can potentially do."
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| Sienna Bianchi on the starting line |
And for Bianchi, who once struggled to imagine herself competing alongside some of the nation's best collegiate runners, the experience served as a reminder of just how far she and her teammates have come.
"I was running for the high school Sienna who didn't even think this was possible," she said. "I think she'd be so proud of where I am now."
