CHICO, Calif. — After missing the previous week's Bill Dellinger Invitational due to illness, Chico State's Della Molina returned to the starting line Saturday and quickly reminded everyone why she's one of the top distance runners in NCAA Division II.
The senior has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week following her second-place finish at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. The recognition marks Molina's second conference weekly honor of the season and fifth of her collegiate cross country career.
Competing in a field featuring runners from numerous Division I programs, Molina covered the 6,000-meter course at Baylands Park in 20:25.0, finishing behind only Santa Clara's Milaina Almonte, who won in 20:00.3. Molina was the top Division II finisher and led the nationally ranked No. 4 Wildcats to the invitational team title.
Her performance helped anchor another impressive showing from Chico State's front runners, with Megan Malloy (20:28.7) and Paulina Martins (20:29.5) finishing fourth and fifth overall. Just 4.5 seconds separated the Wildcats' top three, who provided the foundation for Chico State's 46-point victory over a competitive 23-team field that included nationally ranked No. 14 Stanislaus State (77), San Francisco (95), and Santa Clara (122).
Molina's 20:25.0 also marked a new collegiate 6,000-meter personal best, bettering her previous mark of 20:38.1 set at the 2024 Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational.
The performance represented a significant improvement from her previous appearance at the Bronco Invitational in 2022, when she finished 34th in 20:58.1. Four years later, Molina returned to the same Baylands Park course and ran 33.1 seconds faster while climbing 32 places in the standings.
The Chico native's last cross country season in 2024 included an individual CCAA championship, a conference team title, and a 32nd-place finish at the NCAA Championships, where she earned her second consecutive cross country All-America honor.
With the regular season now complete, Molina and the Wildcats will turn their attention to the November 7 CCAA Championships, hosted by Cal State San Bernardino. Chico State will enter the postseason seeking its fourth consecutive women's conference team title.
