Scott Kruetzfeldt enters his third season as Chico State’s primary cross country assistant coach and track & field assistant coach after previously serving as a student assistant with the Wildcats during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years.
Kruetzfeldt has quickly become an important part of Chico State’s distance tradition, working closely with the Wildcats’ cross country teams and the middle-distance and distance runners on the track. Since joining the staff full time in the fall of 2023, he has helped both cross country programs continue their championship standard, with the Chico State men and women sweeping the CCAA team titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
During Kruetzfeldt’s time as a full-time assistant, the Chico State men’s cross country program has extended one of the most impressive streaks in NCAA Division II, winning its 21st, 22nd and 23rd consecutive CCAA championships from 2023 through 2025. The Wildcats also captured NCAA West Region titles in each of those three seasons and continued their long-running streak of NCAA Championship appearances.
On the women’s side, Kruetzfeldt helped the Wildcats return to the top of the CCAA in 2023 and remain there. Chico State won three straight CCAA championships from 2023 through 2025, captured back-to-back NCAA West Region titles in 2024 and 2025, and placed eighth at the 2025 NCAA Championships for the program’s best national finish since 2019.
Kruetzfeldt’s impact has also carried over to track & field. In 2026, he was named the USTFCCCA Men’s Track & Field West Region Assistant Coach of the Year after helping coach Chico State’s middle-distance and distance runners to four CCAA event titles, five All-West Region honors and two NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field All-Americans. Damian Garcia earned All-America honors in the 1,500 meters, while Mario Giannini earned All-America honors in the 10,000 meters.
The 2026 season also featured several of the top distance performances in Chico State history. Garcia set school records in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters, including a 3:35.61 in the 1,500 meters that ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II for the season. Giannini moved to No. 4 in program history in the 10,000 meters and No. 5 in the 5,000 meters, while Alex Lamoureux climbed into Chico State’s all-time top 10 in the 1,500 meters.
Kruetzfeldt began his running career as one of the top athletes at Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa, where he played an instrumental role in helping the Pumas capture a North Coast Section title in 2017. He later continued his career at Chico State, competing for the Wildcats for several seasons before physical issues forced him to step away from competitive running.
Wanting to give back to the sport that had given him so much, Kruetzfeldt transitioned into coaching as a student assistant, helping Chico State’s distance program regroup following the COVID-19 shutdown and return to its championship form. He joined the staff as the Wildcats’ primary cross country assistant in the fall of 2023 and has since helped continue one of the most successful distance traditions in Division II.
