CHICO Since her first collegiate cross country meet as a freshman in 2007, distance runner Kara Lubieniecki has been a driving force for both the Chico State cross country and track teams. So far in 2010, the 5-foot senior has accelerated the pace she has set over the past three years, helping the Wildcat women earn a No. 5 national ranking from the Untied States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTCCCA) and the No. 2 slot in the latest West Region poll. Lubieniecki and nine other Chico State distance runners hope to enjoy the same success in the postseason, competing Saturday at 10 a.m. in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships at Whittier Narrows Regional Park.
Lubieniecki, who finished in the top ten in two of three events this season, will be shooting for her third straight All-CCAA performance in the 6k event. Also running for the Wildcats Saturday are Stephanie Consiglio, Colleen Joyce, Shannon Rich, Shannon McVannel, Jonah Weeks and Paige Henker all of which have All-CCAA cross country honors on their resumes along with Katie Spencer, Michelle S. Johnson and Amy Schnittger.
The first of Lubieniecki¹s many Wildcat successes came at the 2007 Chico Invitational, where she posted a 6k time of 22:31.5 and finished in seventh place. Just two weeks later at the West Regional Preview in Boise, Idaho,
Lubieniecki turned in a 5k time of 18:55.2 and finished 10th overall.
Lubieniecki went on to compete in the postseason, and finished 22nd at the West Regional meet with a 6k time of 21:40. In the following years, Lubieniecki finished fifth at both 2008 and 2009 CCAA Championships, and 14th and 15th, respectively, at the West Regionals in San Diego. She topped off her impressive 2009 cross country campaign with an All-American performance, placing 32nd overall at the NCAA Championships the 11th-best
finish in Chico State cross country history at the national competition.
³Coming in as a freshman, I always hoped to earn (All-American) honors,² Lubieniecki said. ³The feeling is surreal. It gave me a sense of great accomplishment, and it made me incredibly grateful and appreciative of my teammates, coaches and family.²
For the 2010 Chico State track and field team, Lubieniecki dominated in the 1,500-meter run, finishing first in the CCAA Championships and then delivering another All-American effort by posting a team-best time of 4:28.46 and finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships on May 29th.
Even with all the individual accolades she¹s piled up over the years, Lubieniecki gets the most satisfaction out of seeing her Chico State teams succeed as a unit.
³I¹m just focusing on going out there to race competitively for my team,² she said. ³In the end, it¹s the combined effort of all of us and the final status of the team as a whole that makes competing in any sport so memorable and worthwhile.²
Most of the remaining OCats cross country runners will also be in action Saturday, competing in the Doc Adams Invitational in Davis.
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