Adrian Sherrod finished 14th Saturday while Joey Kochlacs (to his right) finished 44th. Sherrod leads fourth-place effort by finishing 14th
By Luke Reid - Sports Information Director
9/24/2011 5:26:00 PM
PALO ALTO – Days like Saturday are why the Chico State cross country program is considered one of the best in the West Region, regardless of division. The Wildcats finished fourth out of 28 teams at the Division I Stanford Invitational, behind only Stanford, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, and well ahead of some of the other top Division I programs in the West, including Loyola Marymount, UC Davis, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara, Sacramento State, Fresno State, and UC Irvine.
Adrian Sherrod finished 14th, Isaac Chavez 26th, Johnny Sanchez 32nd, Alfonso Cisneros 35th, and Joey Kochlacs 44th to give the Wildcats a total of 139 points. They finished ahead of 14 of the 17 Division I teams in the field and obliterated the next best non-Division I finisher, Pomona Pitzer, which finished 13th with 444 points.
Stanford (ranked No. 1 among Division I teams in the West) won with 27 points, UCLA scored 52, and UC
Johnny Sanchez finished 33rd overall. He was the third freshman to cross the line. Santa Barbara just nipped Chico State for third with 130 points. Loyola Marymount was fifth well back in Chico State’s rearview mirror with 188 points.
The 139 points are the Wildcats’ lowest total since 2008 when they also finished fourth out of 28 teams
with 122 points.
Sherrod covered the eight-kilometer course in 24:23, bettering the finisher not representing a Division I program (Chavez) by 14 seconds. Chavez, Sanchez and Cisneros all crossed the line as well before Cal Poly Pomona’s Ryan Carrell, who was the first Division II athletes to finish that didn’t represent Chico State.
Joshua Linen was the sixth Wildcat to cross the line, a fraction behind the team’s final scorer, Kochlacs. Joseph Rivera was 55th, Dayne Gradone 57th, Anthony Costales 63rd, and Jeremy Brummitt 74th in the 242-runner field.
This marks the seventh time in the last nine years the Wildcats have finished fourth or better in Palo Alto. And they plan to return next year with a team that may even be stronger. The top four finishers this season are all underclassmen. Sherrod’s a junior, Chavez and Cisneros sophomores, and Sanchez a freshman. Brummitt is also a freshman and Gradone is a sophomore.
The Wildcats, who entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the West and No. 5 in the nation among Division II schools, will be back in action next Saturday at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore. The Oct. 15 Santa Clara Invitational will mark the end of the regular season, followed by the CCAA Championships (Oct. 22), NCAA West Regionals (Nov. 5) and NCAA Championships (Nov. 19).
FINAL RESULTS
http://www.chicowildcats.com/news/2011/9/24/MXC_0924113448.aspx?path=mcross
Courtesy Chico State
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Keith Conning: I am related to Joey Kochlacs. His grandfather Norman Young of Piedmont is my cousin.
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