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Menard's Danni Ruiz has been running as long as she can remember.
Whether Ruiz was running while holding on to the back of a moving truck at her Nana’s ranch or outrunning her elementary classmates on the playground, she knew she was the fastest, and liked running.
Last year, a freshman Ruiz shocked the Class 1A track and field world after knocking off legend and Texas Tech signee Taytum Goodman in the 400-meter and 800-meter races, setting a new state record in the 800 with a time of 2 minutes and 12.44 seconds.
While the crowd at Mike A. Myers Stadium was stunned that the freshman not only passed Goodman but broke her standing record, Ruiz said it was all part of her strategy.
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: 'Doing your best in everything you do': San Saba girls basketball's Cinzlea Stanton's journey to success
TRACK HONOR ROLL: Who has the best high school track and field marks in West Texas after district meets?
“We had a plan about it,” Ruiz said. “Because when I ran the 400, I was a little bit quicker than her, so coming up on the curve at the last 150 (meters) that’s when I wanted to get on her shoulder and pass her. So, I just did what I was supposed to do.”
Ruiz is once again sticking to her plan this year and is well on her way to reach the state meet for a consecutive year. At the district 11-1A and 12-1A area track meet on Wednesday, she qualified for the Class 1A Region 2 meet in the 200-meter dash and nabbed first place in the 400 and 800 races with times of 1:01.55 and 2:21.02, respectively. And while she does not have a physical rival to pass like she had with Goodman last year, she still has milestones she wants to hit.
“This year I’m coming in (to the state meet) expecting to do about the same,” Ruiz said. “I want to break my own state record in the 800 and this year I really want to try for the 400 (state) record, and in the 200, I really just hope to qualify.”
Since Ruiz started running track competitively in the seventh grade, she has only lost a handful of races. Even though she had a stacked resume entering the program at Menard High School last year, she still had some benchmarks she needed to clear. In her first practice meet as a freshman, she crushed her previous best of 2:32 in the 800 with a time of 2:24.
“(Ruiz) is not one that I ever have to worry about her effort in practice and her giving 100%,” Menard coach Clay Holland said. “She trains hard, she trains by herself, she does the little things and she takes care of her body, so it’s really nice coaching her. It’s up to me to not screw her up and make sure she has a blueprint to be successful.”
Ruiz’s work ethic and determination on and off the track caught the attention of her teammates, too. Colby Powell, who won the boys 200 and placed second in the 100, said seeing Ruiz succeed helps push him further towards his own goals.
“It’s hard to find somebody in Menard like (Ruiz),” Powell said. “She wants to do good. Everybody else just puts in enough effort to scrape by. (Ruiz) wants to work and puts in the work.”
While Ruiz’s main goal is to continue improving and setting new state records, she can trace her motivation back to a core memory from her childhood.
“I was at a high school district track meet while I was still in elementary school and I was on someone’s shoulders,” Ruiz said. “I was watching over the fence and watching those runners come around, and I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to be like them.’”
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @Paul_Witwer.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Menard's Ruiz aiming to set new records in sophomore campaign
Continue reading...
Whether Ruiz was running while holding on to the back of a moving truck at her Nana’s ranch or outrunning her elementary classmates on the playground, she knew she was the fastest, and liked running.
Last year, a freshman Ruiz shocked the Class 1A track and field world after knocking off legend and Texas Tech signee Taytum Goodman in the 400-meter and 800-meter races, setting a new state record in the 800 with a time of 2 minutes and 12.44 seconds.
While the crowd at Mike A. Myers Stadium was stunned that the freshman not only passed Goodman but broke her standing record, Ruiz said it was all part of her strategy.
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: 'Doing your best in everything you do': San Saba girls basketball's Cinzlea Stanton's journey to success
TRACK HONOR ROLL: Who has the best high school track and field marks in West Texas after district meets?
“We had a plan about it,” Ruiz said. “Because when I ran the 400, I was a little bit quicker than her, so coming up on the curve at the last 150 (meters) that’s when I wanted to get on her shoulder and pass her. So, I just did what I was supposed to do.”
Ruiz is once again sticking to her plan this year and is well on her way to reach the state meet for a consecutive year. At the district 11-1A and 12-1A area track meet on Wednesday, she qualified for the Class 1A Region 2 meet in the 200-meter dash and nabbed first place in the 400 and 800 races with times of 1:01.55 and 2:21.02, respectively. And while she does not have a physical rival to pass like she had with Goodman last year, she still has milestones she wants to hit.
“This year I’m coming in (to the state meet) expecting to do about the same,” Ruiz said. “I want to break my own state record in the 800 and this year I really want to try for the 400 (state) record, and in the 200, I really just hope to qualify.”
Since Ruiz started running track competitively in the seventh grade, she has only lost a handful of races. Even though she had a stacked resume entering the program at Menard High School last year, she still had some benchmarks she needed to clear. In her first practice meet as a freshman, she crushed her previous best of 2:32 in the 800 with a time of 2:24.
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“(Ruiz) is not one that I ever have to worry about her effort in practice and her giving 100%,” Menard coach Clay Holland said. “She trains hard, she trains by herself, she does the little things and she takes care of her body, so it’s really nice coaching her. It’s up to me to not screw her up and make sure she has a blueprint to be successful.”
Ruiz’s work ethic and determination on and off the track caught the attention of her teammates, too. Colby Powell, who won the boys 200 and placed second in the 100, said seeing Ruiz succeed helps push him further towards his own goals.
“It’s hard to find somebody in Menard like (Ruiz),” Powell said. “She wants to do good. Everybody else just puts in enough effort to scrape by. (Ruiz) wants to work and puts in the work.”
While Ruiz’s main goal is to continue improving and setting new state records, she can trace her motivation back to a core memory from her childhood.
“I was at a high school district track meet while I was still in elementary school and I was on someone’s shoulders,” Ruiz said. “I was watching over the fence and watching those runners come around, and I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to be like them.’”
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @Paul_Witwer.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Menard's Ruiz aiming to set new records in sophomore campaign
Continue reading...
