FRESNO, Calif. – Jonathan Chavez won the California Pacific Conference Championship Individual Title for the second year in a row and the University of California, Merced men's and women's cross country teams finished runner-up at the conference championship meet on Monday morning at Woodward Park.
It was the fourth straight runner-up finish for the Bobcats, placing behind Embry-Riddle. The men finished just eight points behind the Eagles and cleared the third place finisher Soka by 26 points. The Bobcats women's beat their closet competitor by over 50 points. This year marked the first women's 6k distance in the championship meet.
For Chavez, he becomes the first ever back-to-back men's Cal Pac Individual Champion and one of just two 2X champions, joining Soka's Jack Evans. Chavez won the title clocking a conference championship record time of 24:18. The Hilmar, Calif., native finished 24 seconds faster than Monday's runner-up and nearly 30 seconds faster than the previous Cal Pac record-holder Santiago Hardy. Also of note, Chavez beat his own Cal Pac best by over a minute.
Sophomore Sharvin Manjrekar placed a personal-best third overall with a time 25:16. Manjrekar and Chavez both earned All-Cal Pac First Team honors and qualified individually for the NAIA National Championships.
Alberto Alves came in next for the Bobcats placing 11th overall in 26:37. Noah Vasquez followed in 12th running a 27:00 race, while freshman Cole Rommelfanger scored fifth for the Bobcats and finished 13th overall in 27:06. By placing in the top-14, Alves, Vasquez, and Rommelfanger were all named to the All-Cal Pac Second Team.
Derrick Pickrel and Omar Carr-Wallace placed top 20. Alberto Guevara, Aaron Fuentes, and Elijah Lawrence ran their first ever Cal Pac Championship race.
On the women's side, Elizette Ysais took home her second straight fourth place finish at the conference title meet and fourth straight top seven finish. She is the second Bobcat in program history to earn All-Cal Pac First Team honors in four seasons, joining Sofia Rios (2012-15). Ysais ran the race in 22:49 and was 15 seconds faster than the next finisher.
Jaydah Aguilar was next for the Bobcats and earned her best finish at the Cal Pac Championships with an eleventh-place finish in 24:34. With it she earned All-Cal Pac Second Team honors.
Ysais and Aguilar also qualified for the NAIA National Championships.
Anjaneesa Ward finished third for the Bobcats with a 13th place finish clocking a time 25:04. Brieanna Anderson (15th/25:28) and Berlin La Munyon (16th/25:46) rounded out the Bobcats scoring. Ward, Anderson, and La Munyon were all awarded All-Cal Pac Second Team honors for their performances.
Emily Gonzales and Jailyn Batis finished in the top 20 with Kayley Betancourt and Sinthya Duran placing top 25.
Up next, the Bobcats four national qualifiers will travel to Vancouver, Wash., to compete in the NAIA National Championships on November 17 at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
