EMPORIA, Kansas - Damian Garcia capped one of the greatest distance seasons in Chico State men's track & field history Saturday, earning first-team All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the men's 1,500 meters at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Francis G. Welch Stadium.
Garcia crossed the line in 3:50.04 to secure the second All-America honor of his track career after entering the national final with the fastest qualifying mark in NCAA Division II this season.
The junior positioned himself well throughout the tactical championship race and held the lead at the 1,100-meter split in 2:56.27 before the field tightened entering the final lap. Garcia remained among the leaders into the closing straightaway, but a late surge from the pack shuffled positions over the final 400 meters as CSU Pueblo's Caleb McLeod claimed the national title in 3:49.25. Garcia ultimately finished fifth in a tightly contested final separated by less than one second between first and sixth place.
Garcia concludes the 2026 outdoor season as Chico State's school-record holder in both the 800 meters (1:48.23) and 1,500 meters (3:35.61).
The Wildcats also added another All-America performance following adjustments to Friday night's 4x400-meter relay preliminary results.
After two relay teams were disqualified following the conclusion of Friday's races, Chico State's quartet of Logan Cole, Harrison Hubbard, Brody Staley and Trey Suffredini moved into 12th place overall and earned second-team All-America honors. The relay team originally clocked 3:09.53 in the preliminaries after entering the national championships ranked 16th nationally with a season-best 3:08.92 — the third-fastest time in Chico State history.
The relay All-America honor marked the second consecutive season Chico State earned All-America recognition in the men's 4x400 relay.
Mario Giannini also earned first-team All-America honors earlier in the meet with a sixth-place finish in the men's 10,000 meters Thursday night, giving Chico State two First Team All-Americans during the national championships.
Garcia's finish also continued Chico State's strong tradition in the men's 1,500 meters at the NCAA Championships. He became the program's latest All-American in the event, joining Wildcat greats including Kyle Medina, Rory Abberton, Michael Wickman, Steven Springhorn, Angel Marquez and Mark Hoefer.
