Whether she’s running at practice or competing in a meet, San Benito High freshman sensation Marisa Villegas hears the same thing.
The voices, however, are distinct.
“Keep your arms up. Elbows back. Pick your knees up.”
At practice, those words are uttered — more like, yelled — from Jess Morales, who works with the track team’s long-distance runners. In a meet, those same words are voiced by Villegas’ father, Lalo, who is usually up in the stands cheering her precocious daughter on.
“Oh yeah, I can hear them screaming in my head,” said Villegas, who currently has the Central Coast Section’s 12th best time in the 3200-meter run (11:24.60) and the 24th best mark in the 1600 (5:19.48). “Now those words are stuck in my head, and they stay with me.
“My coaches (Morales and his daughter, Leeann) have taught me proper form and technique, and my times keep getting faster. Getting my form down was my main goal before the season started. I didn’t expect to have a top-12 time or anything like that, but I’ve been getting better every time I run.”
Supremely talented yet humble, Villegas has displayed a tremendous attitude and work ethic belying her age. Villegas, who won’t turn 15 until August, seemingly has everything it takes to be a star in the sport.
“She’s legit, the real deal,” Morales said. “I don’t really say that about too many of our athletes, but I haven’t seen this in a person in a long time. She’s running superb times, and is way ahead of where a good freshman should be. I coach my girls just as hard as I do the boys, and Marisa is a listener, a doer, never a complainer.”
Villegas started running cross country and track in the fifth grade at Southside School. She didn’t get to compete in cross country this past season because volleyball — the other sport she excels in — is played during the same fall season.
“I’m disappointed that volleyball and cross country conflict in high school,” she said. “I would love to run cross country, too, because I just love to run. But it’s nice I can do two out of the three sports.”
When Villegas competed in the Stanford Invitational two weeks ago, she reveled in watching the collegiate runners blaze around the track. However, nothing seems to faze Villegas, who takes each experience in stride.
“I’m just having a lot of fun,” she said. “As long as you’re having fun, you don’t really feel weighed down by anything, really.”
Morales said Villegas performs with a carefree yet competitive attitude, and he points to a meet against Alisal as proof. Morales had Villegas run the 400 to work on her top-end speed and finishing kick, and she finished in just over 60 seconds.
“I told her the time, and she asked, ‘Well, what does that mean?’ I told her, ‘That’s damn good,’” Morales said.
Villegas’ father, Lalo, was a standout high school runner in Los Angeles.
“I think my dad’s fastest time in the mile was a 4:16,” Villegas said. “He’s helped me out a lot with my running, too.”
By posting some solid times, Villegas has surprised even herself. She entered the season not knowing what she was capable of, and now, Villegas plans on being a factor in the Monterey Bay League and CCS Championships.
“It would be pretty awesome to make the CCS Finals,” Villegas said. “In the beginning, I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to stay in the mix.”
Villegas has done more than just stay in the mix — she’s established herself as one of the rising stars on the CCS track scene.
