This will not be the year Chico State's 21-year title run ends, at least not according to the coaches. The Wildcats received all nine first-place votes to earn a perfect score of 81 points in the 2024 CCAA Men's Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll.
CCAA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
COACHES POLL |
| Chico State (9) |
81 |
| Cal Poly Pomona |
72 |
| Stanislaus State |
56 |
| Cal State San Marcos |
56 |
| Cal Poly Humboldt |
48 |
| Cal State East Bay |
34 |
| Cal State Monterey Bay |
25 |
| San Francisco State |
24 |
| Cal State LA |
9 |
| (First-place votes in parenthesis) |
Cal Poly Pomona placed second on all nine ballots to finish at No. 2 with 72 points. There was a tie for third place where
Stanislaus State and
Cal State San Marcos each collected 56 points.
Cal Poly Humboldt finished fifth with 48 points, and
Cal State East Bay was sixth with 34 points.
Cal State Monterey Bay (25),
San Francisco State (24), and
Cal State LA (9) rounded out the list.
Chico State will bring back five all-conference student-athletes, including the 2023 CCAA Champion, Dylan White. Mario Giannini, who placed second and won CCAA Newcomer of the Year honors, is also back along with Hunter Dougherty, Daniel Hernandez, and Brayden McLaughlin. This group helped the Wildcats win their seventh straight west regional title and place ninth at the 2023 NCAA Championships.
Five All-CCAA runners return for a
Cal Poly Pomona team that placed second at the CCAA Championships and third at the NCAA West Regional. Leandro Candray, Daniel Echeveste, Thomas McDonnell, Ricardo Vargas, and Francisco Zavaleta are all back and have NCAA Championship experience.
Stanislaus State placed third at the CCAA Championships and eighth at regionals. It was the Warriors' fifth consecutive season with a top 5 CCAA finish. Freshman of the Year Nate Olson returns to help lead a team with just four upperclassmen.
Cal State San Marcos made the biggest move between their 2023 finish and place in the 2024 preseason poll. The coaches are expecting the Cougars to shake off their fifth-place finish and move back into the top 3. Renton McGregor earned an All-CCAA selection last season after placing 15th.
Cal Poly Humboldt brings a very young roster into the year as 15 of their 21 student-athletes enter the season as freshmen or sophomores. Last season, the Lumberjacks placed fourth at CCAAs and 15th at the regional.
The
Cal State East Bay Pioneers will be led by senior Cole McKain, who placed seventh at the CCAA Championships. He will be one of three student-athletes with CCAA Championship experience.
Cal State Monterey Bay just edged out
San Francisco State for seventh place 25-24.
Cal State LA (9) completed the 2024 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
The 2024 Cross Country seasons begin the weekend of Sept. 6-7. Sonoma State will host the Seawolf Invite at the site of the 2024 CCAA Championships, Woodward Park, on Sept. 7, and multiple CCAA teams are expecting to be there to open the season.
For more information on the 2024 CCAA Championships, click here.
| 2024 CCAA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY WATCHLIST |
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Leandro Candray |
Sr |
Cal Poly Pomona |
| Hunter Dougherty |
SR |
Chico State |
| Daniel Echeveste |
Sr. |
Cal Poly Pomona |
| Mario Giannini |
So. |
Chico State |
| Daniel Hernandez |
SR. |
Chico State |
| Thomas McDonnell |
Jr |
Cal Poly Pomona |
| Renton McGregor |
SO |
CSUSM |
| Cole McKain |
SR |
CSUEB |
| Brayden McLaughlin |
Sr |
Chico State |
| Ricardo Vargas |
Jr |
Cal Poly Pomona |
| Dylan White |
Sr |
Chico State |
| Francisco Zavaleta |
Sr |
Cal Poly Pomona |