The goal for Scotts Valley senior Ava Decleve was to place in the Top 3 at the Central Coast Section Track and Field Championships, which would have been good enough to extend her season for just one more week.
The Falcon star runner surpassed those expectations by winning the 800 meters in 2 minutes, 9.56 seconds in dramatic fashion at Gilroy High School on May 24.
In the final 200 meters, Decleve surged past Saint Francis senior Sabrina Zanetto (2:09.79) and Los Altos junior Lily Symon (2:10.29) to capture the race in what was a true photo finish.
“When they started kicking early, I also started kicking early,” Decleve said. “We all sort of just pushed each other to the end, which without them running hard, the last 200 I definitely wouldn’t have had the PR that I had.”
Decleve advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis on May 30-31. The top three finishers in each event, except for the 4×800 relay race, automatically qualified for the state finals.
San Lorenzo Valley senior Orea Pollock placed fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 2 inches, narrowly missing the cut into the CIF State Championships.
After completing the first of two laps, Decleve was sitting in fourth but was easing her way toward the front of the pack with Zanetto, Symon and Prospect senior Kylie Hoornaert leading the way.
“I knew going to this race there were incredibly fast runners, and I just wanted to stay with them,” Decleve said. “I feel like we’re all so competitive that we’re gonna take it out fast and maintain, which we did.”
Decleve turned on the jets going into the second turn and surpassed her competitors down the final stretch, kicking her way to victory.
“Every other girl was picking it up, too,” Decleve said. “To stay with them I needed to maintain it, so I sort of just gave it all I got. I just kept pushing and ran through the line.”
Next up, Decleve will prepare for the CIF State Championships. She said making it to this point in the season is an accomplishment of its own because the field is extremely competitive.
“Just going there, I’m gonna be really grateful and lucky to run with these incredible girls from all around that are running way faster than I am,” Decleve said. “But that’s also the exciting part because they’ll carry me through the race, and hopefully I’ll see if I can get a faster time.”
Softball
At No. 2 Gilroy 3, No. 7 Scotts Valley 1: Junior Gracie Delgado drove in the lone run in the Falcons’ loss to the Mustangs in the CCS Division I quarterfinals on May 24. Teammate senior Sofie Seese surrendered three earned runs on five hits while tallying four strikeouts in six innings for Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion Scotts Valley, which finished with a 21-6-1 overall record this season.
At No. 3 Woodside 7, No. 6 San Lorenzo Valley 1: Junior Sophia Sarmiento recorded one hit and scored one run in the Cougars’ loss to the Wildcats in the D-IV quarterfinals on May 24. Teammate sophomore Olive Colby had one RBI, while freshman Elie Colby contributed one hit for SLV, which finished with a 12-10 overall record this season.
Baseball
No. 6 Homestead 3, at No. 3 Scotts Valley 1: Senior pitcher Kaleb Wing allowed three earned runs on five hits while racking up nine strikeouts in the Falcons’ loss to the Mustangs in the D-IV quarterfinals on May 24. Teammate senior Clayton Pryor had one hit and one RBI, while Wing scored the lone run for Scotts Valley, which finished with a 12-16 overall record this season.
