Click here to view Jennifer Ruiz's TFRRS profile
As a Junior - T&F (2024)
- Appeared in seven meets
- Finished seventh in the 10,000m with a time of 38:24.79 at the CCAA Championships
- Set a new personal record in the 3000m (10:39.55) at the Hornet Invite
As a Junior - XC (2023)
-Raced in four meets
- Finished 37th at CCAA Championships
- Ran a season-best 22:49.1 (6k) at the Cal State San Marcos Cougar Challenge
- Made debut in 5k race at the Ash Creek Collegiate Invite, running in 20:42.4
As a Sophomore - T&F (2023)
- Appeared in five meets
- Finished eighth in the 10,000m and 10th in the 5,000m at the CCAA Championships
- Set a personal-best time of 18:06.15 in the 5,000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational
- Ran a PR mark of 37:38.86 in the 10,000m at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic
- Only 1,500m appearance was at the Chico State Invitational, running a 5:05.87
As a Sophomore - XC (2022)
- Appeared in three races
- Set a PR time of 22:23.5 at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational
2021–22
- Began her Chico State cross country career with a 57th place finish (6k time of 24:06.7) September 10, 2021 at the San Francisco State Invitational
- Placed 72nd with a personal best 6k time of 23:37.9 September 25, 2021 at the Cougar Invitatonal
- Finished 56th (6k time of 24:48.8) October 9, 2021 at the Western Washington Bill Roe Classic
- Concluded the fall season with an 18:48 5k track time trial
- On the oval, opened the track & field season with a 5:09 for the 1.500m run, placing 17th March 19, 2022 at the Wildcat Invitational
- Raced to an 18:58.0 5k April 1, 2022 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic
- Posted a 1,500m time of 5:04.2 and a 16th place finish April 23, 2022 at the Chico Invitational
- Finished the spring with two big PR’s May 6–7, 2022 at the CCAA Track & Field Championships, finishing 13th in the 1,500m preliminaries (4:57.9) and 19th in the 5k finals (18:37.3)
- Earned 2021–22 CCAA All-Academic honors
- Received the 2021–22 Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award.
2020–21
- Did not compete due to the COVID pandemic.
Pre-Chico Days
- Lettered in cross country, track & field, volleyball, and basketball at Modoc High School in Alturas
- Holds the school record in the 5k (20:00.04) and three-mile run (19:10.5) despite competing in cross country from just two seasons
- Won 2019 Northern Section Division V cross country title, advancing to the State Championships for the second time in her career
- Helped lead the Braves to a league cross country championship in 2018
- On the track, established herself as one of the top runners in the Shasta Cascade League and the North section while helping lead Modoc High to the 2019 league title…In her junior season (her final track campaign due to COVID shutdown), placed second, second, and first in the Shasta Cascade League Championships in the 800m, 1,600m and 3,200m events
- Ran all three events a week later at the North Section Championships, nearly recording PRs in each event
- Notched an impressive 2:32, 5:28, 12:07 triple while finishing in the top 10 in each race
- Named team’s Most Improved in track (2017–18) and cross country (2018–19)
- Earned Modoc High’s Girls MVP and Outstanding Female Athlete in track (2018–19) and cross country (2019–20).
Personal
- Born November 30 in Panorama City
- Daughter of Diego and Celina
- Has five older half-siblings: Diego, Christina, Vanessa, Jessica, and Manuel
- Admires alumni that continue to run and make names for themselves professionally
- Favorite course at Chico State is Ceramics with Sue Whitmore
- Why she chose to attend Chico State: “I got a real sense of family within the team and Chico is known for being an awesome running program.”
- Her greatest sports moment: “My greatest sport moment is running the 10k 5k double at CCAAs and being able to score for the first time there”
- The most interesting thing she’s ever done is drive from California to Florida with some Chico State teammates to cheer on the Wildcats at the NCAA Cross Country Championships
- The most impressive thing she’s ever accomplished is being a first generation college student in her family
- Has learned by competing in distance running that “consistency is key, and you just need to be patient with yourself”
- Enjoys playing other sports other than running in her free time
- Her biggest non-sports talent: “I’m a really good painter”
- Can play trumpet, guitar, and piano…At the top of her bucket list: “To be able to compete at Nationals”
- Best advice ever received came from Wildcats head coach Gary Towne: “ALWAYS listen to your body. Listening now can be what helps you down the road during competition”
- Majoring in exercise physiology with a minor in Studio Art
- Plans a career as an occupational therapist
