It’s been a roller coaster ride this season for Tony Chavez.
The Cal State Fullerton senior was named the Big West Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after placing third in the 8-kilometer race at the season-opening Mark Covert Classic in Brea.
Two weeks later, in mid-September, he began experiencing pain in the calf and shin of his right leg. The diagnosis was a strained flexor digitorum accessory longus, or FDAL, which is an extra muscle in the leg.
“At one point, I was thinking, ‘Will I even have a senior season?'” said Chavez, who was sidelined for a month.
But Cal State Fullerton trainers provided treatment and rehabilitation that improved his condition. Chavez did a cross-training regimen of cycling and swimming to keep fit.
The efforts paid off in mid-October at the Highlander Invite in Riverside. Chavez led CSUF’s men’s team, individually finishing the 8K race in fifth place. Two weeks later, he clocked a personal best 8K time of 24:02.03 to place ninth at the Big West Cross Country Championships. The team placed second in the conference behind Cal Poly.
“It’s very impressive how Tony salvaged his season. It took a lot of mental strength to come back from his injury. He’s done an amazing job,” said Alex Tebbe, CSUF assistant coach of cross-country and distance running.
The CSUF men’s and women’s teams competed Nov. 15 at the NCAA Cross Country West Regional at the Colfax Golf Course in Washington. Washington State was the host school.
“This is the first time the men’s team has been at full strength all season. Injuries and minor illnesses have slowed us down, but now everyone is ready to compete,” said Tebbe.
The Titans women’s team, which finished ninth in the Big West Championships, is loaded with first-year performers in what has been a rebuilding year.
“We only have two women with regional experience — it will be the first time for everyone else. But I think they will bounce back from the Big West meet and surprise some people,” said Tebbe.
“We brought on many new women to our program this season. It has been an extremely vital rebuilding year,” said Sam Huerta, assistant coach of cross-country. “They are learning and growing at every practice. I’m optimistic that they will grow to be something special.”
Tebbe is a big fan of the regional site. He said, “Colfax is one of the best courses in the country. It’s very compact, which makes it easier for spectators to cheer on the runners.”
A high of 41 degrees with 10 mph winds is forecast for Colfax on race day. “Low 40s with no rain – that sounds like great cross-country weather to me,” said Tebbe, who is in his 10th season at CSUF. “We’ll show them that a team from Southern California can perform in cold weather.”
Two Titans are used to competing in inclement weather — Canadians Nanette Novak and Talman Young. Novak hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, while Young’s hometown is Kitchener, Ontario, which is 65 miles west of Toronto.
“Most of my cross-country meets were in the fall, and we always seemed to be running in the mud and rain. And we ran in December in the snow,” said Novak.
Young doesn’t believe the cooler temperatures will faze CSUF’s runners. “None of us are afraid of a little bit of weather and cold. It makes me more comfortable. It’s nothing I haven’t raced in before,” said Young.
Here is a look at the top two finishers for CSUF’s men’s and women’s teams at the Big West Championships.
Talman Young
“I’m probably the fittest I’ve ever been in my life,” said Talman Young, a senior who led the Titans with a seventh place individual finish at the Big West Championship with a personal best 8K time of 24:00.07.
He and Chavez earned spots on the Men’s Cross Country All-Big West Team with their top 10 finishes.
“The Big West meet was the first time we were able to race with a fully, healthy squad. Based on our team and individual results, it really showed the strength of this program when everyone is able to fire on all cylinders. We’re peaking at the right time,” said Young.
Young, who turns 22 on Nov. 19, has competed in the last two West Regionals. A year ago, he placed 61st in the field.
“Talman has partnered with Tony as the leaders of the team,” said Tebbe. “Talman has been a beacon of consistency. He always gives his all, and he inspires his teammates and makes them accountable.”
The 6-foot-2 Young also competes on CSUF’s track and field team and won the Big West 3000-meter steeplechase last season. For now, he’s focused on ending his cross-country career on a high note.
“You always want to finish at your best. Whatever the result, I’m thankful to have gone on this journey with each of my teammates. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity of being here for the full four years of my college career,” he said.
Young will receive a communications degree with a concentration in advertising in spring 2025. He plans to seek a job with a professional sports franchise in communications and marketing.
Tony Chavez
“After redshirting in track last year, I had a strong summer of training. That provided a strong base for the cross-country season,” said Tony Chavez, 22, who is from Corona. But after impressive performance at the Mark Covert Classic, he had to overcome his leg injury to regain his early form.
“Tony has been able to jump back into racing because his mindset with cross-training was no different than his regular training,” said Huerta. “When he returned to running, he was confident his training would prepare him to race again at a high level.”
The 5-foot-10 Chavez said his three weeks of work on a bicycle and in the pool paid off. “I was doing whatever I could to keep my fitness level high and build my base back up, and it worked out well. We saw that with my performance at Highlander and the practices leading up to the race,” he said.
Like Young, Chavez has competed in the past two regionals, finishing 106th last year. He also said the men’s team is primed for a powerful showing on Nov. 15.
“This probably is the strongest team we’ve had in my four years at Fullerton. We have three guys who could finish in the top 30. It’s exciting to see the team knocking on the door of a potential top 7 finish,” said Chavez.
“Colfax is a new course for us and offers interesting challenges. I’m ready for whatever comes our way. I’m excited to show up and end my cross-country career with a bang,” said Chavez, who participates in middle distance and steeplechase events as a track team member.
Chavez will graduate in spring 2025 with a cinema and television arts degree and a minor in business focusing on entrepreneurship. He has a deep interest in filmmaking and envisions a career as a director of photography or a key grip.
Nanette Novak
“The last two years, I was all over the place. I would have one or two good races, then a handful of bad ones. But my consistency has really improved this season,” said Nanette Novak. “Last summer in Canada, I trained more than ever and really built up my mileage. I discovered the joys of long runs. And I had a better mindset coming into the season after seeing a running therapist, who helped my mental approach.”
Novak was the top finisher for the CSUF women’s team at the Mark Covert Classic, the UC Riverside Invitational and the Big West Championships. At the Big West meet, she finished 27th with a 6K time of 21:02.05.
She competed for the Vancouver Thunderbirds Track and Field Club during her high school years.
“When she first came to us, Nanette considered herself more of a track runner. But she really emerged from the summer as a much more consistent cross-country runner. We asked her to become a leader by example, and she really embraced it,” said Tebbe.
Novak serves as one of the team’s elder statesmen. “When we came in, we were the younger girls. We learned a lot from the older girls. Now we’re using our experiences to mentor and guide this team,” said Novak.
Traveling a long distance to attend college was a good move, said the 20-year-old, who is a middle distance runner on the track team. “I had to learn to live on my own and cook and do laundry — things that my mother had always done for me.”
For visitors to her hometown of Vancouver, Novak recommends two of her favorite locales — Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver and Pacific Spirit Regional Park near the University of British Columbia. “Whytecliff has huge rocks to climb on, beautiful views and paddle boarding among the sea lions and otters,” she said. “And Pacific Spirit is a wonderful place to go running.”
A child and adolescent studies major, Novak wants to become an elementary school teacher for second- or third-graders. “I come from a long line of educators. My mom is a teacher, my uncle is a teacher, my great-uncle was a teacher and several aunts are involved in education,” she said.
Bella Smith
“I started running when I was in middle school. My mom told me later that she didn’t think I would stick with it because, apparently, I was very slow when I was younger,” said Bella Smith, a junior from Murrieta.
She credits her coaches at Temecula Valley Time Machine and Vista Murrieta High School for her development as a runner. “Their workouts were great, and they put a lot of faith in me,” she said. “Alex has been great too. He’s so nice and understanding and very honest with me. He just gets it.”
Smith, who is 5-foot-5, was the top finisher for the women’s team this season at the Highlander Invite and the Bil Dellinger Invite in Eugene, Oregon. She finished 29th at the Big West Championships, one second behind Novak.
The 20-year-old Smith and Ashlynn Viramontes, her teammate, are the only two CSUF women’s athletes with West Regional experience. “I want to improve on my individual performance from last year,” said Smith, who finished 136th.
“Our team didn’t place too high at the conference meet. But we have a different kind of fire and motivation to come back from that. We can be a serious competitive team at the regional. Everyone is excited to go out and show what we can do, and improve on our performance and whatnot,” added Smith.
Smith has stood out as a team leader, Tebbe said. “Bella functions almost as an assistant coach. She communicates with the staff and then gets back to the girls. And she’s done a great job improving and becoming more consistent as a runner.”
“I love being a student-athlete. I have opened up a lot more as a person at Fullerton,” said Smith, who also runs distance races in track and field. “Being on the team has helped me grow a lot. I love the culture, love the professors and have met friends in my classes.”
Smith is a biological science major with a concentration in marine biology. She wants to earn a master’s and a doctorate, and eventually work in conservation research.