ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - For the second consecutive season, the conference coaches have voted Chico State's Damian Garcia as the CCAA Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
 
The junior from Turlock, Calif., earned All-American honors in the 1500 meter with his fifth-place finish at nationals. He broke the Chico State school record and ran the second-fastest 1500m time in NCAA Division II history with a mark of 3:35.61.
 
Garcia also broke a 22-year-old school record in the 800m with a time of 1:48.23. He registered the West Region's fastest time in the 1500m and was second in the 800m. His times earned him a spot in the NCAA Championships in both events.
 
Garcia earned two golds at the CCAA Championships, winning the 800m with a time of 1:51.15 and the 1500m with a time of 3:46.75. It was the second consecutive season he swept both events at conference. His performance helped Chico State collect the CCAA Championship for the second straight season.
 
Garcia is the first CCAA student-athlete to earn consecutive CCAA Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors since Kyle Medina (Chico State) in 2017 and 2018, and just the fourth overall. Chico State has now won six of the last eight CCAA Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors.