Opening the 2026 season at the Saint Mary's Invitational, Chico State swept the men's and women's team titles against a field loaded with Division I competition, while Mario Giannini punctuated the morning with a come-from-behind individual victory.
The men's field included three teams ranked in the USTFCCCA's preseason Division I West Region top 15: No. 9 UCLA, No. 14 California and No. 15 Saint Mary's. The women faced No. 9 San Francisco, No. 10 UCLA and No. 12 California. Chico State beat them all.
The Wildcat men scored just 30 points, finishing well clear of Saint Mary's (82), California (95), UC San Diego (100), Nevada (109), Seattle U (135) and UCLA (140). The women followed with 39 points, ahead of California (69), San Francisco (94), UC San Diego (101) and UCLA (142).
For head coach Gary Towne, the meet offered an early test for two teams with championship aspirations.
"It's not often we get opportunities to line up in a DI field," Towne said. "We knew it wouldn't come easy, but we felt like we had that opportunity to win both races, and yeah, they seized the opportunity pretty well."
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Men Work Their Way to the Front
Despite a narrow opening stretch that put an early premium on positioning, the Wildcats got out cleanly and settled just behind the leaders. From there, Chico State was content to let the race develop through the opening half before steadily beginning to work its way forward.
The progression showed in the team scoring. Chico State sat third with 93 points at the opening checkpoint before moving into second with 63 at the next. By the third split, the Wildcats had pushed five runners toward the front of the field and taken control of the team race with just 37 points.
That momentum continued into the final of four 2K loops. After spending the early stages following the moves around them, the Wildcats increasingly began making moves of their own.
Giannini's progression at the front mirrored that of his teammates.
The senior sat 19th at the opening checkpoint before moving to eighth and eventually taking the lead. Saint Mary's Joseph O'Connell responded with a late move of his own, opening a gap on Giannini during the closing stages. With roughly 400 meters remaining, Giannini estimated the deficit at about 10 meters.
"There was definitely self-doubt," Giannini said. "It was a pretty big move, and my legs were getting pretty tired."
But as Giannini watched O'Connell ahead of him, he began to sense the race wasn't over.
"Something just clicked, and I was like, 'Oh, I can win this,'" Giannini said.
Giannini began eating into the gap and had cut the deficit roughly in half with 200 meters remaining. He finally pulled alongside O'Connell entering the finishing straight, where his track speed took over. Giannini surged clear to win in 23:03.7.
The victory was only part of what had Giannini smiling afterward. Early in the race, he had looked around to find five Wildcats running together near the front.
"I was just ear to ear. It was so much fun," Giannini said. "Even when I broke off, I could hear cheering behind me 'Chico' and I just knew that they were right there."
After crossing the finish line, Giannini immediately turned around to watch his teammates follow him home.
"It was just a very happy moment for me," Giannini said. "Seeing how far the team has come and just seeing how consistent everyone has been."
Behind Giannini, the Wildcats' depth quickly became apparent. Freshman Alijah Murillo made an immediate impact in his Chico State debut, finishing fifth, with Sergio Cuartas III close behind in seventh. Alex Lamoureux followed in eighth with perhaps his best cross country performance as a Wildcat. Matthew Gordon's 13th-place finish completed a scoring five separated by just over 30 seconds.
The depth extended beyond the scoring five. Michael Torres crossed immediately behind Gordon in 14th, taking another significant step forward on the grass, while Sean Alliegro finished 19th. Altogether, Chico State put seven runners among the first 19 across the line.
For Giannini, Cuartas' performance was particularly meaningful.
"I want to give a shoutout to Sergio," Giannini said. "He's had a lot of ups and downs and self-doubt, and he just ignored all of it today and went out there. I'm super proud of him. I'm glad to see him back to true form."
Towne came away similarly encouraged by what he saw throughout the group, particularly from two runners at very different stages of their Chico State careers.
"Alijah's debut in uniform was really impressive," Towne said. "Top five. And a big breakthrough cross country race for Alex Lamoreaux."
Together, those performances turned what had been a tightly packed team race early into a commanding victory. After sitting third at the opening checkpoint, Chico State finished with just 30 points and placed five runners inside the top 13. The Wildcats finished 52 points clear of runner-up Saint Mary's.
Link to full results
Women Stay Patient, Then Pounce
While several of the Division I teams asserted themselves at the front early, the Wildcats took a more patient approach. Chico State settled behind the leaders and allowed the race to develop, sitting second with 74 points at the opening checkpoint behind UCLA's 62.
That began to change as the race progressed. Chico State moved into the team lead by the second checkpoint and continued gaining ground throughout the second half. Still, there was plenty of room for the Wildcats to move forward entering the final lap.
They saved their biggest move for the closing kilometer. Chico State continued working its way through the field as a group, strengthening a lead that had only recently taken shape. By the finish, the Wildcats had turned an early 12-point deficit into a 30-point victory.
"They really just did a great job of kind of allowing the cream to rise to the top as the race went on," Towne said.
Leading the way was Della Molina, who returned to cross country after sitting out the 2025 season. Molina steadily worked her way into the lead group and remained in contention for the individual victory deep into the race before finishing third overall in 20:18.1.
"I felt like I was exactly where I wanted to be at every point in the race until about 800 [meters to go]," Molina said. "I think I have more of a kick in me than I've been showing the past few races. I'll get that kick back."
For Molina, returning to the course also meant racing alongside a women's group that spent much of the morning encouraging one another.
"There were just extremely good vibes," Molina said. "We were all hyping each other up, and even in the first mile we were talking to each other and telling each other, 'You've got this.'"
Behind Molina, the Wildcats kept coming.
Megan Malloy, racing near her hometown with family and former high school supporters in attendance, finished sixth. Paulina Martins followed closely in seventh, continuing the consistency that has marked the beginning of her Chico State career.
Sienna Bianchi followed in 11th after showing another step forward from the strength she developed over the summer, while Catherine McGuire completed the scoring in 12th. Kira Forsberg and Olivia Beschorner crossed in 15th and 16th, respectively, giving Chico State seven of the first 16 finishers.
Few performances better illustrated the Wildcats' continued development than McGuire's. Only two years removed from beginning her running career after previously playing soccer (for Chico State), McGuire sat 36th at the opening checkpoint and 21st at the next. She continued moving forward from there, eventually climbing all the way to 12th.
"Catherine McGuire, second year ever running cross country, she's just so impressive," Towne said.
Molina was equally impressed, pointing not only to McGuire's rapid progression as a runner but also to what she has brought to the group.
"She's someone that I feel like just makes this team better," Molina said. "I just want her to know how appreciated she is and how lucky we are to have her. I don't think the team would be the same without her."
For Molina, that appreciation extends throughout a women's group that has embraced competing for one another as much as alongside one another.
"If one of our teammates beats us, we're just proud," Molina said. "We know it's just a win for everyone. We're all really focused on being positive and uplifting each other."
Link to full results
"Division is only a number"
Friday's sweep offered an early indication of the potential within both groups and gave the Wildcats a rare chance to test themselves against some of the top Division I programs in the West.
For Towne, it also reinforced a point that extends beyond a single meet.
"Division is only a number," Towne said. "Division II at the top end is very strong, and I think when we go and race like that, we can remind some of our Division I counterparts of that fact. Running is running."
The Wildcats return to action in two weeks, with Chico State set to compete at both the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene, Oregon, and the San Francisco State Invitational.
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