Running free: Shelby's Kayla Gonzales going into state meet with a clear mind
SHELBY — The list of accomplishments is lengthy.
Four-time state qualifier, Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference individual champion, district title, regional crown, All-Ohioan. You name it, Shelby senior Kayla Gonzales has done it.
Gonzales is the most accomplished female cross country runner in program history without a shadow of a doubt, which is why this year's Division II state meet feels a little different for the running sensation. Last year, she became the highest-placing runner in program history when she placed 15th with an 18:45.5 to best Lisa Smith's 16th-place finish in 1988.
So what else is there to prove? To Gonzales, there isn't much, which is what makes her extremely dangerous when the starting gun fires at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
"The last four years have flown by," she said. "This is the final one to see what I can do and try to just do my best to cap it all off. I have had an amazing experience with Shelby cross country, but this is definitely a bittersweet moment."
Gonzales is going into this weekend's state meet with a clear mind and the attitude of whatever happens, happens. She has already accomplished so much, including the first individual regional championship of her career when she ran an insane 18:06.8 to shatter her own school record yet again.
She also had an All-Ohio finish last year, but don't expect her to take the final race of her high school career lightly. She still has a competitive fire that burns hotter than most.
"Last year, I was pretty happy with how I did at state," Gonzales said. "My overall time was good and that set my overall standard and expectations a little higher this year. I am looking for a higher finish, but it is nice to know that I have a lot of my goals accomplished in my career so I am just going out looking to improve."
At last week's regional meet, Gonzales exercised some demons at Tiffin's Hedges-Boyer Park. She finally won that elusive regional title after placing seventh last year in a disappointing run. Granted the weather conditions were horrible, but she expected more out of herself, and she finally achieved that this time around.
"I was seeded second and finished seventh, but the conditions were rough," Gonzales said. "For me, it was still a bit of a letdown. Freshman and sophomore years, I barely made it out to state, so this year it was great to feel strong and have a good day. We didn't really change much from last year to this year. Maybe there was just a little more consistency and a bit more of a decrease in mileage. Nothing too crazy.
"I am super happy still and feeling that runner's high from Saturday. That was the goal going in. It is my senior year, my final regional cross country race, so I really wanted to win it. It all worked out how I wanted."
Maybe better than she had hoped. Gonzales ran the second-fastest time in all of Division II's four regional races around the state behind only Oakwood's Bella Butler's 17:47.40.
Shelby coach Steven Clark said Gonzales has it in her to challenge Butler because of her overall work ethic of the last four years that could come together on Saturday.
"The last three years of having her at the high school level, and I was one of her middle school coaches, you just know she is a special runner," Clark said. "Her work ethic has remained the same but her growth physically and mentally has been amazing. She didn't have many mental obstacles because she has been solid since she was little, but she is just nonstop. She will go to the YMCA and ride a bike for 30 minutes after practice and they go work out with dad.
"She just doesn't stop and has taken her talents to the next level. It shows. She took 45 seconds off the old school record, and we are going for 17s."
One thing is certain — Gonzales will not go into the state meet feeling any sort of pressure. A four-time state qualifier, Saturday should just be like any other day.
"With her first year being all alone, she got over the pressure issue," Clark said. "The following year, again, got over that pressure, and then last year we went as a team and that relieved her because her teammates were with her. Having all that pressure set aside, she already has a league, district and regional championship so let's see what we can do. There is no real pressure on her. A happy athlete is a productive athlete."
In that case, Gonzales must be euphoric.
jfurr@gannett.com
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Twitter: @JakeFurr11
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Shelby's Kayla Gonzales going into state meet with a clear mind
