ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Chico State’s Damian Garcia has reached one of the highest levels of recognition available to a collegiate student-athlete.

Garcia was selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country third team. The junior Accounting major from Turlock, Calif., was the CCAA’s lone representative on the 2025-26 NCAA Division II Academic All-America team.

The prestigious honor completes a remarkable year in which Garcia won an NCAA West Region cross country championship, captured two CCAA track titles, earned first-team All-America recognition and repeated as the CCAA Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
 
Garcia produced one of the finest middle-distance seasons in conference history. He placed fifth in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn first-team All-America honors. Earlier in the season, he broke his own Chico State record and ran the second-fastest 1500m time in NCAA Division II history with a mark of 3:35.61.
 
He also broke a 22-year-old Chico State record in the 800m with a time of 1:48.23. Garcia finished the regular season with the fastest 1500m time in the West Region and ranked second in the 800m. His performances earned him a place in both events at the NCAA Championships.
 
At the CCAA Championships, Garcia won the 800m in a time of 1:51.15 and the 1,500m in 3:46.75, completing the conference double for the second consecutive season. His two victories helped Chico State repeat as CCAA champion. Garcia later became the first student-athlete to earn consecutive CCAA Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year awards since Chico State’s Kyle Medina in 2017 and 2018.
 
Garcia’s championship year began during the cross country season. He won the NCAA West Region individual title with a 10,000m time of 29:26.4 while helping the Wildcats capture their ninth consecutive regional championship. He also placed second at the CCAA Championships as Chico State extended its conference championship streak to 23 consecutive seasons.
 
Garcia becomes the fifth Chico State men’s track & field/cross country student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors and the first since Dylan White in 2024. He joins White, Ryan Bertucci, Steven Martinez and Wyatt Baxter among the Wildcats to receive the award. Garcia’s selection represents the seventh Academic All-America honor in the program’s history.
 
Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award recognizing combined athletic and academic excellence across championship college sports. More than 40,000 student-athletes have earned Academic All-America honors since the program’s inception.