SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Ricardo Vargas captured the first CCAA individual championship for Cal Poly Pomona since 2004, leading the Broncos to a second-place team finish at the 2026 CCAA Cross Country Championships at the CSUSB Cross Country Course.
 
Vargas completed the eight-kilometer race in 24:17.8, finishing nearly 13 seconds ahead of the next competitor. His performance ranks as the second-fastest 8K time by a Cal Poly Pomona runner in CCAA Championship history, trailing only Stephane Franke's 24:07.5 from 1990. Vargas was named CCAA Runner of the Year for his first place finish, marking the Broncos' first since Daniel Rojas in 2004.
 
Sophomore Luke D'Elia also earned All-CCAA honors by placing eighth in 24:56.0. Micah Chandler followed in 16th at 25:18.8, while Ethan Romero finished 19th in 25:35.0. Jimmy Guerrero completed the Broncos' scoring lineup in 22nd with a time of 25:41.8.
 
Cal Poly Pomona totaled 66 points, finishing behind champion Chico State, which scored 28. The Broncos' five scoring runners produced a 1:24 spread from Vargas to Guerrero, and CPP's team average was 25:09.
 
The runner-up finish marks Cal Poly Pomona's 11th second-place result in its last 13 contested CCAA Championships, dating back to 2013. The Broncos also finished second in each of the previous five championships, extending one of the most consistent stretches in program history.
 
Cal Poly Pomona has won six CCAA team championships, including titles in 1968, 1983, 1985, 1994, 1996, and 1997.
 
Leo Lorenzano placed 23^rd with a time of 25:48.7, followed by Cullen Gully in 24^th at 25:49.8. Daniel Cheyer placed 27^th in 25:58.3 and Micah Clemons was 61st in 26:57.7.
 
 
Up Next
The Broncos will compete at the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, November 21^st, in Sacramento.
 
 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos currently have a 59-12 record this season. A "win" is a team they finished ahead of, while a "loss" is teams they finished behind.
• Head coach Chris Bradford's teams have a 694-234 record since 2017.
• This was the Broncos' sixth consecutive runner-up finish in the CCAA Championships to Chico State.