Cross Country | 9/25/2015 4:31:00 PM | By Luke Reid - Sports Information Director (lreid@csuchico.edu) Courtesy Chico State

It’s Stanford Saturday!

Highly-regarded cross country squads in action in Palo Alto, Hayward

It is more than a bit ironic that the collegiate cross country campaign is a sprint, and not a marathon. The Chico State women and men will compete for the second time this season on Saturday at the Stanford Invitational and Garin Park Challenge, marking the penultimate regular-season racing day of 2015.

Both Chico State teams won at the season-opening Ash Creek Invitational two weeks ago and both are ranked No. 1 in the West Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The men's team has climbed up to No. 3 in the USTFCCCA's national rankings and the women's team broke into the top five this week at No. 5.

With just three competition days prior to the postseason, each one is important. But none is more anticipated by the athletes than the race at Stanford. Chico State will once again match up against some of the West's top Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA teams. The women's race is scheduled to start at 9:50 and the men's race at 10:30.

Because of a change in NCAA procedures a few years ago, the races are no longer scored across divisions. Instead, the Division I teams are scored outside of the rest of the field. However, it's still an opportunity for the Wildcats to test their skills side by side with some of the best Division I has to offer.

Stanford Invitational - Women

McCall Habermehl

Stanford, ranked No. 5 in the nation and No. 1 in the West, headlines the 32-team field. Division I West Region No. 8 UC Davis and No. 11 Cal Poly will also participate. Besides the Wildcats, the top Division II teams entered are Azusa Pacific (No. 8 in the West), Central Washington (No. 10) and Simon Fraser, which was ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation earlier this season.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is ranked No. 11 in Division III and Southern Oregon is No. 17 in the NAIA.

The six-kilometer track takes place on the Stanford Golf Course.

Stanford Invitational Roster - Women
Nicole Anthony
Alex Burkhart
Hannah Dorman
Julie Finn
Sadie Gastelum
McCall Habermehl
Lora James
Quetta Peinado
Camila Turati
Olivia Watt

Stanford Invitational - Men
Stanford, ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the West, headlines the 33-team field. Division I West Region No. 5 California, No. 10 UC Santa Barbara, No. 11 Cal Poly and No. 14 San Jose State will also participate. Two more regionally-ranked Division I teams are traveling to Palo Alto: South Central No. 11 Baylor and Midwest No. 15 North Dakota State.

Besides the Wildcats, the top Division II teams entered are ninth-ranked Cal Poly Pomona and 14^th-ranked Simon Fraser. The Division II teams aren't the only ones with something to prove. The top-ranked team in the NAIA, Southern Oregon, will be there, along with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the 11^th-ranked team in Division III.

The eight-kilometer track takes place on the Stanford Golf Course.

Stanford Invitational Roster - Men
Arturo Arevalo
Falco DiGiallonardo
Connor Fisher
Nicholas Grubiss
Steven Martinez
Kyle Medina
Aaron Mora
Will Reyes
Brandon Taylor
Nick Valenzuela

Garrin Park Challenge

Connor Fisher

The Garin Park Challenge is a new piece to Chico State's schedule, but in its 11^th year of existence, it's not new to the East Bay. Twenty Wildcats will tackle a tough and scenic 5k that meanders up and down the Garin Park ridge.

Garin Park Challenge Rosters
Women
Bekah Bahra
Danielle Oden
Kody Atkins
Carmen Martinez
Jessica Fernandez
Elyssa Schall
Veronica Garcia
Yajaira Zarate
Montana Loveday
Katie Coleman

Men
Caton Avilla
Steven Velarde
Victor Bennett
Jack Johnson
Cameron Ashbaugh
Chris Kigar
Zach Price
Ryan Rampoldi
Derek Morton
Andrew Cobourn