ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – For the second consecutive season, Chico State's Damian Garcia has been voted the CCAA Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year by the conference's head coaches, adding another major honor to one of the finest middle-distance seasons in program history.

Garcia, a junior from Turlock, capped his 2026 outdoor season by earning first-team All-America honors in the 1,500 meters with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. His national performance came after a record-setting run earlier in the season at the APU Franson Last Chance, where Garcia broke the Chico State school record and clocked the second-fastest 1,500-meter time in NCAA Division II history at 3:35.61.

Garcia also took down a 22-year-old Chico State record in the 800 meters, running 1:48.23 to move to No. 1 on the program's all-time list in that event as well. His 1,500-meter time ranked first in the West Region and No. 1 nationally entering the NCAA Championships, while his 800-meter mark ranked second in the West Region. Both performances earned Garcia a spot at the NCAA Championships in Emporia, Kansas.

Before closing the season on the national stage, Garcia delivered another dominant CCAA Championships performance. He swept the 800 and 1,500 meters for the second straight year, winning the 800 in 1:51.15 and the 1,500 in 3:46.75. His victories helped Chico State capture its second consecutive CCAA men's track & field team championship.

Garcia becomes the first CCAA student-athlete to repeat as Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year since former Chico State standout Kyle Medina earned the award in 2017 and 2018. He is just the fourth student-athlete in conference history to win the award in consecutive seasons.

Chico State has now claimed six of the last eight CCAA Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year awards, continuing the Wildcats' long-standing tradition of excellence in the conference's distance and middle-distance events.