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Angel Valdez
Michael Glasgow

Track & Field

TBT: Angel Valdez and Her Impact at CSUB



BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – This week's Throwback Thursday highlights the career of Angel Valdez (now Angel Christensen), a former distance runner for the CSU Bakersfield women's cross country and track and field teams. Her academic and athletic accomplishments at CSUB were above par but the impact she left on the program is what was most impressive. Valdez-Christensen made a name for herself in her first season with the Roadrunners as she finished second or third in the `Runners scoring five at every meet. In her sophomore season she led the team in all six meets and recorded the lowest conference finish at the Cross Country WAC Championships.
 
Her junior season was similar to her sophomore in that she made progress and set the bar high for her teammates. Valdez-Christensen earned the first-ever WAC cross country athlete of the week honor and earned the first-ever All-Conference nod at the championship meet.
 
As a senior, Valdez-Christensen paced CSUB in the 4k, 5k and 6k races. She earned a first-place finish at the Mustang Challenge with a time of 17.34.8 in the 5k. She ended her CSU Bakersfield career at the NCAA West Regional Championship meet where she placed seventy-fourth.
 
Valdez-Christensen earned 10 WAC All-Academic honors throughout her career. She led her team in 15 consecutive cross country races, the most-ever in program history. She also owns the record in the 4k, 5k and 6k races. 
 
In track and field, Valdez-Christensen ranks second in the 10,000-meter, third in the 5,000-meter, sixth in the 3,000-meter and 14th in the 1,500-meter. The 5-foot-3 distance runner holds the highest WAC and NCAA Regionals finish in Division I program history. She was also the first student athlete in the CSUB Athletics department to be selected by the NCAA as the conference selection for the NCAA woman of the year award. Valdez-Christensen was one of 154 conference-level honorees.
 
Off the track Valdez-Christensen spent a significant amount of time doing community service, totaling 86 hours with seven different organizations during her collegiate career. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Mathematics and a concentration in teaching and currently teaches in the Bakersfield community.
 
Check back in next week for another CSUB Athletics throwback as we'll be featuring one of the most decorated men's soccer athletes, Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew SC forward Gyasi Zardes. 
 
~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Angel Valdez

Angel Valdez

Distance
5' 3"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Angel Valdez

Angel Valdez

5' 3"
Junior
Distance
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