ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – After overcoming lightning delays and challenging weather conditions at the Chico Invitational, Chico State's Damian Garcia has been named the FloCollege/CCAA Track Athlete of the Week.

The honor marks Garcia's first CCAA Track Athlete of the Week award and his second career weekly recognition after previously being named CCAA Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week in 2024.

Following a nearly three-hour lightning delay Friday night, Garcia lined up against a field of seven runners and competed in cold, wet conditions. He went on to win the mile in 4:00.51, narrowly missing Wildcat legend Scott Bauhs' program record time of 3:59.81, which ranks second-fastest in NCAA Division II history.

The race marked just the third time Garcia has competed in the mile during his collegiate career, making his near sub-four-minute performance even more impressive. Despite the conditions, Garcia controlled the race from the start and produced one of the top times in the conference this season, continuing a strong junior campaign.

Another busy weekend lies ahead for Chico State, as the Wildcats will split squads across multiple meets in Southern California, including the Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa Pacific), the Leopard Invitational (La Verne), and the Pacific Coast and Beach Invitationals (Long Beach State), all scheduled for April 16–18. A select group will remain in Northern California to compete at Yuba College's Last Chance Invitational on Saturday.