Ayla Granados has accomplished just about every goal an individual distance runner can achieve in the course of one season. The senior from Castro Valley had already notched NCAA Provisional Qualifying marks in the 800-, 1,500- and 5,000-meter runs heading into the CCAA Track & Field Championships…so what could she possibly do for an encore? Only set a new school record in the 1,500 and win the 5k to clinch the Wildcats’ fifth straight conference title. Her individual and team efforts make Granados the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Granados kicked off her impressive weekend Friday by finishing second to Wildcat teammate Olivia Watt in the 1,500-meter preliminaries with a time of 4:46.84. In Saturday’s 1,500 final, Granados turned in her best-ever effort performance in the event – her time of 4:26.44 not only bettered her existing NCAA Provisional mark, it broke Kara Lubieniecki’s three-year old Chico State record by over a second.
While her final race of the day was hardly a record-setter, Granados came through with a clutch effort in the 5,000-meter run. With just two events remaining on the day, Chico State needed Granados to post a high finish to successfully defend the women’s CCAA title, and she responded by winning the 5k with a time of 17:25.77. Her win, combined with teammate Quetta Peinado’s third place finish, clinched the conference crown for the ’Cats.
Granados now turns her attention to preparing for the NCAA Track & Field Championships, taking place May 22-24 at Grand Valley Track and Field Stadium in Allendale, Mich.
