Scotts Valley senior Ava Decleve added another pair of wins last week, including a record-setting first-place finish at the prestigious Crystal Springs Invitational.
The UCLA commit captured the championship race in a personal-best 17 minutes, 58.06 seconds on the 2.95-mile course at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont on Oct. 11.
“I definitely wanted to try to stay with the top runners at every race, because there’s some really fast girls in the county and around,” Decleve said. “If I was able to stay with them, then I’d hope just to compete, winning the race.”
Carlmont senior Daniela Cuadros (18:02.44) and junior Katlyn Elliot (18:07.03) took second and third, respectively, followed by Scotts Valley junior Hanna Shehorn (18:08.53) in fourth and Aptos senior Maya Schiro (18:12.23) in fifth.
The Falcons placed third as a team with a score of 99, while Carlmont (78) finished second behind champion Piedmont Hills (73).
“[Decleve’s] real strong, running with confidence,” said Scotts Valley head coach Todd Hoffman in a previous interview with the Press Banner. “And then you have Hanna [Shehorn], she gets in that race and she’s not afraid. She’s really pushing herself and she wants to be closer to Ava.”
Last week began with Decleve winning the 5,000-meters race in 19:53 in the Falcons’ league dual meet against San Lorenzo Valley on Oct. 9.
She finished slightly ahead of Shehorn (19:59) in second and SLV sophomore Skyla Leggett (21:12) in third. Scotts Valley sophomore Stella Sutcliffe (21:30) placed fourth, while SLV junior Beth Gabrielson (21:39) took fifth.
Jennifer Brownfield (21:59) and Dylan Turzak (22:25) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, for Scotts Valley, which improved to 3-0 in league dual meets this season.
Decleve is on pace to having her best season as a Falcon. She took second in 13 minutes, 44 seconds at the Artichoke Invitational at Half Moon Bay High on Oct. 4.
“It’s the perfect race in the middle of the season,” she said. “You gotta jump over hay bales, and there was a good talk afterwards. It really brings the team together, and we can all bond more over that race.”
Decleve also had the fastest overall finish at the Ram Invitational at Westmoor High School on Sept. 27. She won the 2.7-mile race in 16:19, which was the best mark in a field of 153 runners that were split up into two groups.
“It’s fun to watch [Decleve],” said Hoffman. “Like any athlete, we talk a lot about race strategy…UCLA has got a very good person coming in.”
Prior to making her decision, Decleve had the option to choose between UCLA or Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. She visited both colleges but ultimately picked Los Angeles as her landing spot.
Plus, her good friend Evie Marheineke—a Santa Cruz native and former Archbishop Mitty standout—is currently attending UCLA.
“I truly loved both of them, but UCLA did stand out a little more in the aspect of I just connected with the team better,” Decleve said.
Scotts Valley has one final SCCAL dual meet against Harbor, Mount Madonna and Aptos at Pinto Lake County Park in Watsonville on Oct. 23.
Then it’s on to the SCCAL finals on Nov. 6 at Pinto Lake. The Falcons are aiming to bring back home a league crown after they captured three consecutive titles from 2021-23.
They’re also aiming for a potential trip back to Crystal Springs on Nov. 15 for a chance to win a fifth straight Central Coast Section Division IV team championship.
“They’re working hard, they set their goals,” Hoffman said.
Decleve said the overall goal is helping Scotts Valley reach the California Interscholastic Federation Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 29.
“It would be incredible,” she said. “Sort of just to close out the past four years of running with these girls. They’re my best friends, and competing at the highest level with them would sort of be a dream. It would mean the world to them and me.”
