SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Chico State men's cross country team couldn't have asked for a much better result at Friday's San Francisco State Invitational, sweeping the first five individual places to record a perfect team score of 15 points.

Leading the charge was sophomore Charlie Brennan, whose first collegiate cross country victory capped a remarkable turnaround following two challenging years in the Wildcat program.

Charlie Brennan

Brennan covered the 8,000-meter course at Golden Gate Park's Speedway Meadow in 24:54.6, leading a tightly packed group of Wildcats across the finish line. Preston Mullen followed in second (25:00.5), with Joseph DePascale third (25:02.3), Peter Kendall fourth (25:05.9), and Stephan Chapdelaine fifth (25:06.8).

Just 12.2 seconds separated Chico State's entire scoring five, securing the lowest possible team score in cross country. The Wildcats finished comfortably ahead of runner-up Westmont (59), UC Merced (105), host San Francisco State (112), and San Jose State (113).

The team's dominance extended beyond the scoring five, with Adrian Hipolito (25:15.9) and Andrew Stevens (25:17.4) finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. Freshman Joshua Guzman added an 11th-place finish (25:25.5), giving Chico State eight of the top 11 runners.

Despite the lopsided final results, the race itself was far from decided in the opening stages.

With a stiff headwind greeting runners along the opening stretch, the early pace remained relatively conservative. Several Wildcats, including Kendall, Hipolito, and Stevens, took turns near the front as a large lead pack remained together through much of the first half.

Brennan, meanwhile, opted for a patient approach, remaining just behind the leaders through the opening two loops before beginning to make his way toward the front.

"Coming off that second climb, I realized the front pack was starting to get away from me, so I figured I should probably speed up," Brennan said. "That's when I made the move that brought me toward the front."

Brennan worked his way alongside Mullen and DePascale as the race entered its closing stages, using his familiarity with the course to determine where to make his final move.

"It's so hard to move up when you're going downhill on that course because everyone is already flying," Brennan explained. "But on the grass hills, that's where you can make your moves. I thought if I could get to the top of the last hill with them and not get dropped, I'd have a pretty good shot at taking it into the finish."

Brennan stayed with his teammates over the final climb before accelerating into the lead around the last turn. Unsure how much he had left or whether his teammates were closing, he committed everything to the finishing stretch.

"I came around the corner and took the lead, but I was really afraid of getting caught, so I kicked it in," Brennan said. "I didn't even realize I was going to win until I crossed the line."

For Brennan, the victory represented far more than a successful afternoon in San Francisco.

A Chico native and graduate of Chico High School, Brennan arrived at Chico State in 2024 after an impressive senior year of high school running. However, his first two years in the program were disrupted by a series of health challenges, including anemia and recurring illness, making it difficult to build consistent training or regain the form that had earned him a spot on the Wildcat roster.

A year ago, Brennan finished 62nd at the same meet in 26:41.2. On Friday, he returned to the course and ran nearly one minute and 47 seconds faster, climbing all the way to the top of the results.

Head coach Gary Towne, who has watched Brennan work through those challenges, credited his perseverance and the support of his teammates for helping him reach this point.

"His first two years were really tough, dealing with health challenges" Towne said. "But we had seen what he was capable of in high school, and talent doesn't just go away. Thankfully, he had the support of his teammates to help him through those difficult times. Now that his body is finally cooperating, it's been really fun to watch him emerge."

Brennan credited a much more consistent summer of training and several years of experience on the San Francisco course for helping him turn a previously difficult race into his biggest collegiate breakthrough.

"I think the biggest difference was having a really good summer of training," Brennan said. "As you go through college, you build more mileage and grow with it. I have a bigger base now, and I'm able to tolerate the hills on that course a lot better."

For Towne, Brennan's breakthrough was a reminder that collegiate development rarely follows a straight line, particularly for athletes who encounter setbacks early in their careers.

"Progress isn't always linear," Towne said. "It takes patience, support, and a good network around you. I'm sure there were times when he felt like quitting, but he stuck with it. And now he's just getting started."

While Brennan's victory provided the day's most compelling individual storyline, the perfect team score offered an equally encouraging glimpse into the future of Chico State men's cross country.

Mullen and DePascale

Four of the Wildcats' five scorers hold freshman or sophomore eligibility, with DePascale serving as the lone upperclassman in the group. For many, Friday's race provided a valuable opportunity to compete near the front of a collegiate field and experience the pressure of contributing to a team victory.

Towne believes those experiences will pay dividends as the younger athletes continue developing and eventually assume larger roles in the program's championship lineup.

"It's definitely helpful to be in a scoring position and to experience being at the front of a race," Towne said. "It gives you a shot of confidence. I feel really good about these guys emerging and stepping into bigger roles in the future."

Brennan was equally pleased to share the success with his teammates, although he admitted he didn't initially realize just how dominant their performance had been. After crossing the finish line, he collapsed onto the grass and missed the rest of Chico State's scoring five coming through the chute.

"I didn't really know until they announced the team title that we'd gotten a perfect 15," Brennan said. "I think the perfect score is kind of the cherry on top. It's nice to win and have success, but it really shows that the whole team did well that day. It's nice to have your teammates do well alongside you."

The sophomore also pointed to the training environment at Chico State as an important part of his development, particularly the encouragement that comes from living and training alongside teammates who share the same goals.

"Sometimes you wake up and just can't get yourself out the door," Brennan said. "But when you're living in a house full of people who are all getting up to run, you get out there and talk with them, and it's not so bad."

With their perfect score in San Francisco, the Wildcats completed a sweep of Friday's team titles while another Chico State squad finished third against a talented Division I field at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Oregon.

Both groups will now turn their attention to the Bronco Invitational on October 17, the final regular-season competition before the CCAA Championships and NCAA postseason.