Butte College men's, women's track teams win Golden Valley Conference Championships

BUTTE VALLEY - Butte College runner Adrian Cuevas needed every ounce of effort he had, as the freshman defeated College of the Redwoods' Dylan Rodriguez by 0.16 seconds to claim the Golden Valley Conference Championship in the 1,500-meter race. Cuevas helped lead the Roadrunners' men's team to a GVC championship on Friday at Butte College.

Cuevas trailed Rodriguez for much of the race, Cuevas tried to take the lead on the backstretch, Rodriguez held onto the lead, but in the final 100 meters Cuevas took the lead just before the finish to secure the win in 4 minutes, 10.14 seconds.

"I felt him slow down a little bit and I said I still had a chance. The last 100 meters I gave it everything I had," Cuevas said. "I felt like I had to pull everything out of me just to get to the end, and I felt like I was crawling to the finish line. I just wanted it more than him at the end."

The Butte College men's team finished first with 12 points, ahead of Shasta (58), Redwoods (56.5), Yuba (38.5) and Lake Tahoe (16). The Butte College women's team finished first with 88 points ahead of Shasta (73), Redwoods (61), Yuba (50) and Lake Tahoe (1).

Cuevas was one of 11 Roadrunners to claim GVC Championships Friday. Brady Johnson was first, winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:25.55. Carter Kroschel won the 110-meter hurdles in 0:16.16 and the 400-meter hurdles in 0:57.19; and Tristan Bobadilla won the 800-meter race in 1:58.52

The men's field events were highlighted by Chico High alumnus and current Roadrunner Costantino Thompson, who nearly broke the Butte College record in the high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 4.75 inches.

"It's really special actually because in high school I was ranked number two at the school all time and I wasn't able to get to number one," Thompson said. "I've been fishing number one at a school for a while now. I've had three attempts at the school record height and this one had no bar love. I still have two more meets and if I get it next week I'd be happy or at state, but I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do."

Costantino has been changing his approach all season, specifically focusing on it. He started with no walkup, but now does a walkup to get his body in motion and more stable when he makes his approach.

Kroschel took first place in pole vault with a mark of 11-7.25; Alex Hancock took first place in long jump with a mark of 21-1.5 and triple jump with a mark of 43-10.75; and Ezzard Teats won the shot put with a mark of 40-7.75 and the discus with a mark of 136 feet.

One of the highlights of the women's competition was the battle in the 400-meter race between Shasta's Talyn Hanly and Butte's Kaitlyn Paul. Hanly won the race in 0:58.62, with Paul finishing in a close second place in 59.17. Despite the second-place finish, Paul, a sophomore, was overcome with emotion after getting a personal best time in her final home meet.

"It comes down to thousands of a second, but really it comes down to the months of training we spend just to get that thousandth of a second improvement," Paul said. "When I do PR it's important to celebrate your accomplishments because it's hard work. It's my last home meet and it's an amazing feeling. It's a perfect situation and I couldn't be happier."

Paul said when trying to PR in the 400-meter race she tries her best to focus on the first 200 meters and let it carry her through to the end.

"Big PR for her," said Butte head coach Jon Hayes. "The girl she was trying to chase down is one of the top runners in the state, so she's chasing that A mark for state, which she's trying to get in. If we did it right she'll hopefully hit next week. She needs to be top-4 in NorCals and hopefully punch her ticket to the state meet."

Paul also finished second in the 400-meter relay (0:51.69) with teammates Malaea Reid, Lindsey Becker and Ariana Garcia. Paul, Reid, Garcia and Becker finished first in the 1,600-meter relay in 4:22.57, finishing 16 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher from College of the Redwoods.

Other winners from Butte College include Jennifer Johnson in the 10,00 meter race (42:46.09); Garcia in the 1,500 (5:10.62); Paulina Arias in the 5,000-meter race (19:47.68). In the women's field events, Becker won the pole vault with a mark of 8 feet.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 6:20 AM.