Biography
Notable Cross Country Awards
• All-American (2023)
• All-West Region (2022)
• All-CCAA (2022, 2023)
Notable Track & Field Awards
• Second Team All-American - 10,000m (2024)
• All-West Region - 10,000m (2024)
• All-CCAA - 10,000m (2024)
Notable All-Time Marks
• 10,000m - 34:19.11 - 2nd best (2024 season)
• 5,000m - 16:37.94 - 9th best (2024 season)
• 3000m - 9:52.65 - 8th best (2024 season)
As a Freshman - T&F (2024)
- Appeared in eight meets
- Crossed the finish line at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 12th with a time of 36:17.45 to earn the final Second Team All-American spot
- Won the 10,000m with a new personal best time of 34:19.11 at the Franson Last Chance
- Finished fifth in the 5000m at the CCAA Championships
- Recorded a personal best in the 1500m with a time of 4:36.90 at the Chico Invite, set a PR at the Bryan Clay Invite in the 5000m with a time of 16.37.94
As a Junior - XC (2024)
- Raced in all six meets
- Finished in 24th at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships with a time of 21:08.3, earning All-American.
- Earned All-West Region honors after finishing 5th at the NCAA DII West Region Championships.
- Claimed the 2nd place finish at the CCAA Championships with a 21:13.7.
As a Sophomore - XC (2023)
- Earned All-American honors after finishing 31st at NCAA Championships in season-best 20:36.1 (6k)
- Finished 21st at NCAA West Regionals in 21:37.4 (6k)
- All-CCAA accolade after finishing third at conference championship in 21:18.4 (6k)
- Finished sixth in both the San Francisco State Invitational and Cal State San Marcos Cougar Challenge
- Made 5k debut at Ash Creek Collegiate Invite, running in 18:06.0
As a Freshman - XC (2022)
- Raced in six meets
- Finished 133rd overall at the NCAA Championships
- Received All-West Region status following a 21st-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals
- Named to the All-CCAA team after finishing 10th overall at the CCAA Championships
- Set a PR time of 20:58.3 at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational
Pre-Chico Days
- Iresh joins the ‘Cats along with her twin sister Della as one of the most decorated distance runners in Northern Section history
- Began her senior year of cross country with a personal best mile time (17.54.1) and a second place finish at the Bill Springhorn Classic
- Dipped under the 19 minute threshold (5k distance) for the first time, while placing sixth overall at the Clovis Invitational
- Finished second behind her sister Della at the Eastern Athletic League Championships while recording an 18:36.8 5k PR
- Won the Northern Section championship three-mile run in 18:45.0
- Concluded the fall with a 23rd place finish at the State Championships (5k time of 18:44)
- Holds the Chico High School record in the 2.1 mile run, second all-time in the three-mile run, and fourth in school history is the 5k
- Picked up where she left off during track and field season, starting the spring with an 11:01.3 effort in the 3,200m run at the Dublin Distance Fiesta
- Barely missed breaking the 11-minute mark for the 3,200m in early April at a dual meet with Shasta High School, stopping the clock with a PR time of 11:01.0
- Raced to the second fastest 3,200m in Northern Section history and breaking a long-standing Chico High School record while clocking a 10:48.9 PR at the Sacramento Meet of Champions
- Won the 1,600m (posting a personal best time of 5:12.5) and 3,200m (11:12.6) titles at both the EAL and Northern Section championship meets
- Elected to run just the 3,200m at the state championships, where she placed 20th (11:07.4) despite dealing with injury in the days leading up to the race.
Personal
- Born January 22, 2004, in Chico
- Daughter of Forough Molina
- Has three siblings: Sondae, Andris, and twin sister (and Wildcats teammate) Della
- Her mom is her hero (“She’s influenced me in most of my life choices and supported all my greatest goals. She has always inspired me in the way that she leads through example, expecting me to create goals, chase them, and to never give them up. Through my entire life, I’m constantly amazed at the amount of strength, both mental and physical, that she has always shown. Her ability to show kindness, patience, compassion, and resilience to others around me makes me feel lucky knowing I was raised by such a genuinely loving human. She’s my own personal superwoman”)
- Admires all of the athletes in the sports world who get injured during their season and have to endure long breaks in their training (“I admire their mental strength and how they continue to find hope and love for their sport even when missing out on their training and competitions. It takes a lot of mental toughness and commitment to stay healthy and positive even when your body seems like it’s fighting against you”)
- Why she chose to attend Chico State: “It was my high school dream to run for the Chico State cross country and track team, and when I was offered a scholarship for cross country my senior year of high school, it was like a dream come true. I knew I was pretty much going to attend no matter what”
- Her greatest sports moment is earning the Chico High School record in the 3,200m, breaking the previous record by nine seconds at the Meet of Champions
- The most interesting thing she’s ever done is take advantage of having an identical twin sister by switching classes in middle and high school (“Della and I would switch classes on every ‘Twins Day,’ and it was difficult for even our friends to tell us apart. We were very careful and elaborate when planning these fun swaps”)
- The most impressive thing she’s ever accomplished was setting a new Chico High School record in the 3,200m
- Has learned by competing in distance running that “sometimes pain can be turned into something positive. I have reinforced in my brain what it means to push myself past my comfort zone. I’ve learned that my mind is my strongest asset, and that I am not going to always feel my best, but that is okay”
- Enjoys reading, creating art, all types of outdoor activities, being with her dog, and spending time with friends and family…Her biggest talent outside of running is creating art (“drawing, painting, sculpting with clay, and creating miniature cardboard and scrap sculptures”)
- Used to play mandolin in elementary school, then played percussion in middle school band
- Loves to melt shredded cheese on brown rice, and eats bell peppers like an apple (“taking huge bites”)
- Her uncle Scott Molina won the Iron Man World Championship in 1988
- At the top of her bucket list: “Learn how to good chicken, learn to play the piano and guitar, and learn how to draw digitally. I would also love to someday visit a different continent
- Best advice ever received came from a book recommended by her mom, Way of the Peaceful Warrior: “Don’t give up on the one thing you control—your response”
- Majoring in kinesiology
- Plans to earn a master’s degree and pursue a career as an occupational therapist.
