Oakdale High alum John Brunk made his final day as a member of the Chico State Track & Field team a memorable one at the NCAA DII Track and Field National Championships, earning a spot on the All-America podium in the decathlon. Competing in 10 events over two days, Brunk posted personal bests in the 110-meter hurdles, the 1,500-meter run (with a winning time of 4:23.90), and matched his personal record in the pole vault, clearing 15-01. In the process, Brunk snagged his second decathlon All-America honor with 7,351 points, good for sixth place overall out of the 16-man field. Joining him on the podium were teammates J Patrick Smith (National Champion) and Teddy Elsenbaumer (second place), who together now own the top three decathlon scores in Chico State history. In total, eight Wildcats earned a total of nine All-America honors, propelling Chico State into the final sixth place team slot.

The NCAA National Championships were hosted in Allendale, Michigan. Next year Brunk will be completing his second year of his Master’s degree, and helping to coach the track team as an assistant.