CHICO, Calif. — Following a pair of outstanding performances against some of the nation's top Division I competition, Chico State's Megan Malloy and Mario Giannini have swept the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Women's and Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week awards.
The honors come after both Wildcats recorded top-eight finishes at Friday's Bill Dellinger Invitational in Springfield, Oregon, leading their respective teams to third-place finishes against fields loaded with Division I programs.
For Malloy, the recognition marks her first career CCAA Runner of the Week award, following one of the strongest cross country performances of her collegiate career.
After finding herself in 61st place at the opening kilometer, Malloy steadily worked her way through the field before delivering one of the fastest closing kilometers of the meet. The senior covered the final 1,000 meters in 3:23.0, the fourth-fastest closing split in the field, advancing seven positions over that stretch to finish eighth overall in 20:48.7.
Even in the final meters, Malloy was determined to make every position count, overtaking an Oregon runner just before the finish line.
"I'm kind of a perfectionist, so every time I finish a race, I find something wrong with how I executed," Malloy said. "I didn't want to have any regrets. Even in the finishing chute, I was close to an Oregon runner, and I thought I wasn't going to catch her. But I knew if I didn't, I'd be annoyed with myself."
Malloy's 53-place climb helped lead a shorthanded Chico State women's squad to an impressive third-place team finish with 115 points. The Wildcats finished behind only nationally ranked No. 7 Oregon and Canada's top-ranked University of Victoria, edging UC Irvine by just three points despite racing only six women.
The performance also reflected just how far Malloy has progressed since arriving at Chico State. Once a relatively modest high school distance runner, she has developed into one of the top competitors in Division II, crediting years of consistent training and patience for her continued improvement.
"Sometimes we run my high school PRs in workouts now," Malloy said. "I've been lucky to build such a strong base and stay relatively healthy. I've put a lot of trust into the training, and it's paying off. It's really rewarding."
On the men's side, Giannini earned his second CCAA Runner of the Week honor this season and fifth of his collegiate career, adding to an already impressive list of accomplishments for the Chico native.
The senior finished third overall in the men's 8,000-meter race, covering the course at Pine Ridge Golf Club in 23:46.6. Giannini finished behind only Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum and Connor Burns, leading the Wildcats to 81 points and a third-place team finish behind nationally ranked No. 5 Oregon and Weber State, ranked No. 8 in the Division I Mountain Region.
Despite competing against several of the nation's premier collegiate distance runners, Giannini approached the meet with a relaxed mentality, crediting the team's pre-race atmosphere for helping eliminate much of the pressure that can accompany high-level competition.
"We kind of goof off before races, and it takes the pressure off," Giannini said. "The caliber of the runners didn't really matter. I wasn't thinking about anyone's status. I was just racing."
Giannini gradually worked his way through the field before making a decisive move with approximately 800 meters remaining, securing his place on the podium ahead of several accomplished Division I competitors.
The result even exceeded some of his own expectations, as the aggressive opening pace set by Oregon's front runners helped create opportunities for Giannini to move through the field.
"I was a little surprised," Giannini admitted. "Those first two guys took everyone out really fast, and I think that actually worked in my favor."
Giannini's latest honor follows his individual victory at the Saint Mary's Invitational on September 18, where he and teammate Della Molina swept the conference's weekly cross country awards to open the season.
With one regular-season race remaining, both Chico State squads will look to carry their momentum into the upcoming CCAA Championships and NCAA postseason.
