SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — While Chico State's top women's cross country runners were battling Division I competition in Oregon, another group of Wildcats was making a statement of its own at Friday's San Francisco State Invitational.
Led by sophomore Isabel Rosales and an entirely underclassmen scoring five, Chico State cruised to the team title with just 22 points, placing seven runners among the top 12 and demonstrating the remarkable depth of a program that continues to develop talented athletes throughout its roster.
The Wildcats finished 60 points ahead of runner-up Westmont (82), while host San Francisco State (83), Cal State San Bernardino (96), and UC Merced (110) rounded out the top five in the eight-team competition.
Rosales led the charge with a third-place individual finish, covering the six-kilometer course at Golden Gate Park's Speedway Meadow in 21:48.1. The sophomore improved by more than 15 seconds from her performance on the same course a year earlier, when she placed seventh
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| Ava-Marie Csutoras |
in 22:03.5.
After finding herself near the front of the field almost immediately, Rosales spent much of the opening mile running alongside former Chico State standout Iresh Molina, who was competing unattached and ultimately won the race in 21:14.6.
"I found myself at the front from the very beginning, and that doesn't usually happen for me," Rosales said. "I wasn't scared at all. I was just excited. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so cool. This is going to be so much fun.'"
Although Molina eventually pulled away and Rosales spent much of the remaining race running on her own, the sophomore continued enjoying the opportunity to compete near the front. With the course's winding layout offering frequent glimpses of her teammates, Rosales was able to see the Wildcats establishing themselves throughout the lead group.
"I just felt so grateful to be feeling good and enjoying every step of the race," Rosales said. "I knew I could get a good placement for the team and hopefully help us win."
Behind Rosales, Ava-Marie Csutoras delivered one of the day's biggest surprises, finishing fourth overall in 21:57.4. Maya Schiro (21:58.7), Veronica Bell (22:04.2), and Lucy Varela (22:09.5) completed Chico State's scoring five in fifth, seventh, and eighth place, respectively.
The group finished within just 21.4 seconds of one another, an impressive display of depth from a scoring five made up entirely of athletes with freshman or sophomore eligibility.
Head coach Gary Towne was particularly impressed by Csutoras, who steadily advanced through the field and even moved ahead of Rosales for a portion of the race.
"Ava was probably the biggest surprise out of our group," Towne said. "She bridged up to Isabel during the second mile and actually moved ahead of her for a while. Maya and Veronica also did a really good job working together throughout the race. They're two true freshmen with a really bright future."
The Wildcats' impressive showing extended well beyond their scoring five. Freshmen Alice McCarty (22:22.0) and April Anguiano (22:24.5) finished 11th and 12th, giving Chico State seven underclassmen among the first 12 runners across the finish line.
Zoe Aitken added a 13th-place finish (22:32.4), while Claire Edwards continued her remarkable improvement with a 14th-place showing in 22:38.4. Mattie Whipple followed in 16th (22:40.2), giving Chico State 10 of the top 16 individual finishers.
Edwards' performance was particularly meaningful for the Wildcats. After finishing 72nd at the same meet a year earlier in 24:21.0, the former Chico High runner improved by one minute and 43 seconds while climbing 58 positions in the overall standings.
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| Claire Edwards |
For Towne, the performances of Edwards and Csutoras, both Chico High graduates, were among the most encouraging developments of the afternoon.
"Those were two really cool stories within the race," Towne said. "Claire has come such a long way, and that was a really big run for her. To see her finish in the top 15 and earn an individual award was pretty special."
Rosales was equally excited to see Edwards' improvement, having watched her teammate continue working through several challenging seasons.
"I've seen all the struggles Claire has gone through over the past couple of seasons, and she's never stopped putting in her full effort and dedication to the team," Rosales said. "It's really nice to see that show through in a race."
For a Chico State program that returned much of its nationally competitive lineup from last season, Friday's result offered another indication that the next generation of Wildcats is already preparing to carry that success forward.
Rosales, who watched her teammates finish third against a talented Division I field at the Bill Dellinger Invitational earlier in the day, described how inspiring it was to see the women in Oregon competing at such a high level while recognizing that she and her teammates in San Francisco were contributing to that same program.
"Being able to see how they race against some really fast Division I schools, and to know that I'm also part of that team and contributing my little piece to the puzzle, is really special," Rosales said.
That sense of shared purpose has helped foster an environment in which athletes throughout the roster continue pushing one another to improve, regardless of where they currently stand within the team's depth chart.
"I'm just really proud of everybody and seeing how much everyone has improved," Rosales said. "On days like this, when our top seven isn't there, you get to see the rest of the team who are putting in just as much effort. They're improving so much every race and every season."
With an entirely underclassmen scoring five, another team victory, and a host of promising individual performances, the Wildcats left San Francisco with plenty of reasons to be excited about the years ahead.
