By Luke Thomas, October 21, 2025
After coming in second at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, Cal Poly Pomona runner Ricardo Vargas has won his second CCAA Cross Country Runner of the Week award for Sept. 15-Oct. 5.
The fifth-year grad school student secured second place at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational Oct. 4, with a time of 24:36.1 for the 8k race, leading the pack throughout the race until he got passed at the finish line.
“It’s bittersweet because I was leading most of the race, and at the line I got outkicked,” Vargas said. “But it felt really good to come away with the team win and have a lot of supporters and friends and family out there. … Even though it’s an individual award, it’s also a culmination of the team and what we’ve been able to put together.”
His time at Pomona-Pitzer was 20 seconds behind his seasonal best of 24:16.1, which he achieved alongside a first-place win at the CSU San Marcos Cougar Challenge Sep. 13.
The week before the Pitzer, Vargas raced at the Lucian Rosa Invitational in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he came in fifth place after racing against runners from top teams throughout the country. Head coach Christopher Bradford saw the race as his strongest of the season so far.
“His previous weekend in Wisconsin I actually thought was a better run for him,” Bradford said. “Finishing fifth in that field at the pre-national championships against some of the best teams in the country really shows the level that he’s running at.”
Vargas obtained his first Runner of the Week award Aug. 29-Sept. 4, 2022, after taking first place at the Redlands Invitational in his first year on the team.
Despite his successes, Vargas did not begin as a runner. He grew up in Lake Arrowhead, where he started playing soccer when he was 6 years old, which remained his focus up to high school.
In his freshman year at Rim of the World High School, Vargas joined the cross-country and track and field team, initially to condition for soccer. His focus on running grew throughout high school, and in his senior year he ran a 15:49.4 three-mile at the Woodbridge Classic and reached CIF Finals in track for the 3200 meter.
Vargas joined the CPP cross-country team through a try-out during his second year, where he sought to fully focus on running.
“Coming here, I really just wanted to fully immerse myself in the sport and learn as much as possible so that I can become the best runner that I can be,” Vargas said. “It came with a lot of trials and tribulations, but all in all, I do feel like it’s allowed me to keep growing.”
In his first year on the team, he qualified for the NCAA National Cross Country Championships as an individual, coming in sixth overall. His second year, he competed at the national championships again, this time leading the Broncos as well.
“What stood out for Ricardo has been the same thing for years,” Bradford said. “He’s an extremely hard worker, he’s very dedicated, he is very talented, and he is finally starting to put it together and show everybody all that hard work and how good he is.”
Throughout his years on CPP’s cross– country and track and field teams, Vargas said his coaches and teammates have supported and pushed him to improve at the sport, something he lacked with his team in high school. Being able to be surrounded by similarly like-minded and passionate individuals has allowed Vargas to prosper in the sport.
“I want to continue leading the team to achieving our goals,” Vargas said. “We set some pretty lofty goals at the beginning of this season, all (of) which are attainable. I want to continue being the best runner and leader I can be for the team so we can achieve those goals.”
Kinesiology student and teammate Daniel Echeveste described Vargas as strong and mentally disciplined, which has helped him learn through a couple stress fractures.
“He’s learned a lot of balance,” Echeveste said. “He used to be a guy that ran as many miles as hard and as fast as he could, but he came to learn that in the end if you’re not recovering enough it’s going to kick you in the butt.”
Vargas will run at Bidwell Park in Chico for the CCAA Championships Oct. 24.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
