[Results] 

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Ricardo Vargas earned his place in CCAA history and Chico State added another championship trophy to its resume.
 
Chico State placed all five scoring runners in the top nine to win its 24th consecutive CCAA Men's Cross Country Championship, presented by Pollo Campero, Saturday at Cal State San Bernardino. The Wildcats finished with 28 points, followed by Cal Poly Pomona with 66.
 
Twenty-four consecutive championships. Different runners, different courses, and another generation entrusted with keeping the trophy in Chico. Every athlete in the Wildcats’ championship lineup was born after the program began its run in 2002. On Saturday, those runners carried that tradition through another finish line.
 
Last season, Cal Poly Pomona pushed the Wildcats to the closest finish of their championship streak, with just six points separating the teams. This time, Chico State’s scoring five finished within 20.6 seconds of one another, leaving little room for another team to break through.
 
Vargas, however, made sure the individual championship went home with the Broncos.
 
The senior completed the 8k CSUSB XC Course in 24:17.8 to earn CCAA Runner of the Year honors, finishing 12.7 seconds ahead of Stanislaus State’s Jackson Oliveira (24:30.5). Two-time defending champion Mario Giannini led Chico State in third at 24:37.4.
 
For Vargas, the victory completed a climb reflected in the conference’s own championship recaps. He was the CCAA Newcomer of the Year in 2022 and finished third in last year’s championship. Four years after that first conference award, he stood alone at the top. He became Cal Poly Pomona’s first men’s individual champion since Daniel Rojas in 2004.
 
The separation came late. At the 3.8-mile checkpoint, Vargas, Oliveira, Giannini, Sergio Cuartas III and Sean Alliegro were still within half a second of one another. By the final checkpoint, Vargas had opened a four-second advantage over Oliveira. He continued to pull away through the finish.
 
Behind him, the Wildcats kept coming. Cuartas placed fourth (24:51.0), Alliegro fifth (24:53.1), and Matthew Gordon seventh (24:55.5). Freshman Alijah Murillo closed the scoring in ninth at 24:58.0. Before the race clock reached 25 minutes, Chico State had all five scoring runners home.
 
Murillo’s finish also earned him CCAA Freshman of the Year honors, giving the Wildcats the award for the second consecutive season after Jackson Stream won in 2025. Chico State needed a fifth runner to complete its championship score, and the freshman delivered, joining four veteran teammates in the top nine to help extend a streak that began before he was born.
 
Cal Poly Pomona secured its sixth consecutive runner-up finish. Luke D’Elia joined Vargas in the top 10, placing eighth in 24:56.0. Micah Chandler, Ethan Romero and Jimmy Guerrero completed the Broncos’ scoring.
 
One point decided the next place in the team standings. Cal State San Marcos edged Stanislaus State, 78-79, behind Ziggy Nacco’s sixth-place finish in 24:55.4. Braden Oberg placed 11th and Jayson Oliver finished 15th, giving the Cougars three runners in the top 15.
 
The Warriors matched that total as Mason Oliveira and Tanner Gerhart finished 12th and 13th, respectively, behind Jackson Oliveira’s runner-up performance. The 2024 CCAA Freshman of the Year finished ahead of every Wildcat on Saturday, two years after earning his first championship honor.
 
San Francisco State’s Julian Vargas captured CCAA Newcomer of the Year honors with a 10th-place finish in 24:58.7. He crossed the line less than a second behind Murillo, giving the Gators a top-10 finisher and an individual conference award.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay finished fifth with 185 points, four ahead of Cal Poly Humboldt (189). Fresno Pacific placed seventh (196), followed by San Francisco State (209), UC Merced (219), Cal State East Bay (285), and Cal State LA (288).

Men's Award Winners
Runner of the Year: Ricardo Vargas, Cal Poly Pomona
Newcomer of the Year: Julian Vargas, San Francisco State
Freshman of the Year: Alijah Murillo, Chico State
Coach of the Year: Gary Towne, Chico State

2026 CCAA Men’s Cross Country Championship - Team Results

Place	Team	Points
1	Chico State	28
2	Cal Poly Pomona	66
3	Cal State San Marcos	78
4	Stanislaus State	79
5	Cal State Monterey Bay	185
6	Cal Poly Humboldt	189
7	Fresno Pacific	196
8	San Francisco State	209
9	UC Merced	219
10	Cal State East Bay	285
11	Cal State LA	288