Wildcats Race to 16th-Straight CCAA Cross Country Championship Title
Video highlights |
Complete results
CERES, Calif. – The streak continues for the Chico State Wildcats after an impressive run at the 2017 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Cross Country Championship at River Oaks Golf Course on Saturday morning.
Senior Kyle Medina took the top spot in the individual standings, clocking in at 24:16.2, followed by teammate Connor Fisher. The strength of the squad was evidenced by seven runners in the top 10 finishers, and a team score of 18 points. A Wildcat has now won the last 13 individual conference crowns.
With its 16th consecutive team victory, Chico State extended the conference record for most consecutive league titles by any program in any sport. Sixteen straight league championship titles is a feat only beaten by one other NCAA Division II program, the Grand Valley State women, who earned their 17th in a row earlier today.
“We take a lot of pride in the depth of our team, and our team is so hard to make,” noted CCAA Coach of the Year Gary Towne. “There were a couple of guys actually that were up in that front group that walked onto our program, that have just worked really hard. Part of the advantage that we have is they all work together. Running as a pack like that is kind of like practice. The guys were out there just kind of doing what they do, and thankfully not getting overwhelmed with the emotions involved.”
Helped by a third-place finish by Ruben Dominguez and a ninth-place effort from Christian Rodriguez, Cal Poly Pomona landed in second in the team standings with 63 points. A tight trio of Cal State San Marcos (109), Cal State East Bay (114) and UC San Diego (117) rounded out the top five scoring squads on the course.
Along with Medina’s Athlete of the Year award, Chico State teammate Teddy Kassa nabbed Newcomer of the Year after a fourth-place run, and Cal Poly Pomona’s Jeremiah Suzara was named Freshman of the Year. Chico State graduate student Caton Avilla earned the inaugural Championship Scholar Award, given to the athlete with the highest grade-point average in the championship field.
2017 CCAA Men’s Cross Country Awards:
Coach of the Year: Gary Towne, Chico State
Athlete of the Year: Kyle Medina, Chico State
Freshman of the Year: Jeremiah Suzara, Cal Poly Pomona
Newcomer of the Year: Teddy Kassa, Chico State
Championship Scholar: Caton Avilla, Chico State
2017 CCAA Men’s Cross Country Championship Results:
| Place |
Team |
Points (scores) |
| 1 |
Chico State |
18 (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 10*) |
| 2 |
Cal Poly Pomona |
63 (3, 9, 14, 18, 19, 21*, 31*) |
| 3 |
Cal State San Marcos |
109 (8, 13, 24, 25, 39, 41*, 44*) |
| 4 |
Cal State East Bay |
114 (12, 15, 20, 33, 34, 35*, 42*) |
| 5 |
UC San Diego |
117 (11, 22, 27, 28, 29, 32*, 36*) |
| 6 |
San Francisco State |
201 (23, 37, 40, 43, 58, 59*, 64*) |
| 7 |
Humboldt State |
203 (16, 30, 45, 52, 60, 63*, 65*) |
| 8 |
Stanislaus State |
204 (17, 26, 50, 55, 56, 57*, 62*) |
| 9 |
Cal State Monterey Bay |
228 (38, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51*, 53*) |
| 10 |
Cal State Los Angeles |
316 (54, 61, 66, 67, 68, 69*, 70*) |
2017 Men’s Cross Country All-CCAA Team:
| Place |
Athlete (School) |
Time |
| 1 |
Kyle Medina (Chico) |
24:16.2 |
| 2 |
Connor Fisher (Chico) |
24:23.4 |
| 3 |
Ruben Dominguez (CPP) |
24:30.8 |
| 4 |
Teddy Kassa (Chico) |
24:35.1 |
| 5 |
Jack Johnson (Chico) |
24:35.5 |
| 6 |
Eddie King (Chico) |
24:36.2 |
| 7 |
Caton Avilla (Chico) |
24:36.4 |
| 8 |
Josh Litwiller (CSUSM) |
24:38.3 |
| 9 |
Christian Rodriguez (CPP) |
24:44.8 |
| 10 |
Arturo Arevalo (Chico) |
24:49.3 |
| 11 |
Wyatt Baxter (Chico) |
24:52.8 |
| 12 |
Aren Johnson (UCSD) |
24:53.2 |
| 13 |
Pedro Cruz (CSUEB) |
25:03.8 |
| 14 |
Shea Vavra (CSUSM) |
25:04.2 |
| 15 |
Remington Breeze (Chico) |
25:06.8 |