WATSONVILLE — Both of Watsonville High’s top distance runners are feeling the nerves in the days leading up to Saturday’s CCS Top 8 meet at Los Gatos High.
Neither considers that a bad thing.
“I think being nervous is a good thing,” said Watsonville freshman Layla Ruiz. “I feel like if I wasn’t nervous, that would be a problem.”
The CCS Top 8 meet, now in its 39th edition, serves as the final preview before the top athletes from the section battle it out for league, section and state titles in the coming weeks.
Both Ruiz and senior Daniela Salazar hope to be in the running at all three levels in the near future. But first, they want to announce their presence to the other runners in the CCS on Saturday.
“I want to show them that I’m up there,” Salazar said. “I want to go to state this year.”
Salazar will compete in the 800-meters, an event in which she finished sixth at last season’s Central Coast Section Championships in Gilroy. She has the fifth-best time of the 30 runners competing in Los Gatos on Saturday. She ran her qualifying time in the two-lap race of 2 minutes, 18.84 seconds at the Arcadia Invitational a couple weeks ago.
It will be a return to the site of history for Salazar. Last season, she set the program’s current record in the event, crossing the finish line in 2:17.58. She’s inched closer to resetting her own record this season, but has fallen just short on two occasions. She said she hopes her experiences racing against some of the best runners in the country at the Arcadia and Stanford Invitationals calms her nerves just enough to make some noise.
“I’m used to running fast now,” Salazar said. “That’s prepared me. I already ran with these other girls who are really fast, so I know I can do it again.”
For Ruiz, Saturday will be the first time the Wildcatz’s star freshman will test her limits on the track. She will race in the 1,600 and 3,200. She is ranked 23rd and 15th, respectively, in each event.
Named the top freshman cross country runner in Northern California by coaches from around the region last fall, Ruiz has not been pushed much in Monterey Bay League Pacific division dual meets or smaller invitationals throughout the season. Yet, she has still managed to impress by winning multiple events in her first league dual meet and running the second fastest time in program history in the 1,600 just a week ago.
She clocked in at 5:21.54 running against air.
The program record in the event, set by Martha Luna in 1990, is 5:12.94.
While a near 10-second improvement from her personal record might be asking a bit much, Watsonville head coach Rob Cornett did not rule out the possibility of it happening on Saturday.
“I’ve said it before,” the coach said, “nothing is out of the question with her.”
Ruiz said she has been waiting to race shoulder-to-shoulder against other top runners all season. In the 3,200, she’ll race against Santa Cruz High’s Mari Friedman, the first high schooler in the nation this season to run under 2:10 in the 800, 4:50 in the 1,600 and 10:30 in the 3,200.
The competitive level will without a doubt be higher on Saturday.
“This is going to be a big meet,” Ruiz said, “but it’s also going to help me in preparation for league finals and CCS trials so I can hopefully make it to state.”
Here’s a look at other local athletes heading to CCS Top 8:
• Jose Villanueva, Watsonville — Watsonville senior is ranked 12th in the triple jump with a qualifying leap of 42 feet, 3/4 inches.
Villanueva has battled through a lingering heel injury all season, but has still managed to make the most of his final season with the Wildcatz.
“It’s been a struggle,” Villanueva said, “but I’ve been working through it.”
• Brynn Mitchell, Aptos — Aptos High sophomore will compete in the triple jump and long jump on Saturday. Her qualifying leap of 35-0.5 in the triple jump is ranked 10th of 20 competitors, while her qualifying long jump of 16-4.5 is ranked 18th of 20.
• Jordan Kadlecek, Aptos — Aptos senior will head to Los Gatos ranked sixth in the long jump with a leap of 21-8.
• Hunter Matys, Aptos — Aptos junior is ranked 12th in the long jump with a qualifying leap of 21-2.5.
• Natalia Ackerman, Aptos — Fresh off setting the top mark in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, the Mariners’ sophomore heads to CCS Top 8 as one of nine athletes from the section locked in at 5-0.
• Aptos girls’ 4×100 relay — The Mariners are ranked 14th heading into Saturday with a time of 51.31 set by the quartet of sophomore Kylie Bennett, freshman Kaela A. Hemingway, senior Sachi Land and junior Emma Burke at the Wildcat Relays on March 10.
• Marea Zlatunich, Aptos — A veteran of the meet, the Aptos senior is the top-ranked runner in the 1,600 with a time of 4:57.05. Zlatunich will also test her stuff in the 3,200, an event in which she is ranked sixth at 11:18.74.
• Jackson Schenone, Aptos — The Mariners’ senior just squeaked into the meet with a qualifying mark of 4:31.22. Schenone is ranked 26th of 32 runners.
• Owen Mastroprieto, Aptos — Aptos senior is ranked 14th of 16 competitors in the 300 hurdles with a time of 42.15.
• Sofia Natividad, Aptos — Aptos senior has the 19th ranked time in the 3,200 (11:48.25).
• Jocelyn Cazarez, NMC — North Monterey County High’s star senior thrower will arrive in Los Gatos with the seventh-best mark in the discus (112-8) and the 12th-best mark in the shot put (34-4.5).
• Sarah Delgado, NMC — N.M.C. senior is the 27th ranked runner in the 800 with a time of 2:25.91.
