As a senior Track & Field and Cross Country athlete committed to the University of California (UC) Davis, senior Lauren Villegas shares her motivation for her passion in track and the reason she chose to sign with UC Davis after the support of her coaching staff and teammates. 

Villegas grew up in Chino, California, and lived there all 18 years of her life. She comes from a family of track star runners, who have inspired her to pursue this passion. In fact, her brother serves as an inspiration for her running journey. 

“My brother went to Ayala and ran here for a while,” Villegas said. “He’s a Hall of Famer here, so he’s probably my best role model as I’ve always looked up to him and worked to try and become faster than him too.”

Although she officially started her track career as a freshman at Ayala, she initially joined a running club in her eighth grade year. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, she had to postpone her passion for a short time. After spending four years at Ayala, Lauren decided to commit to Davis due to their incredible atmosphere, coaching staff, and small town environment. 

“I feel like the team there is really good and the school campus is really nice,” Villegas said. “I would be getting a good academic and athletic experience, but I also really like how UC Davis is a college town and looked like it would be a safe place to go.”

As she reminisces about past memories and people who have pushed her, Villegas thanks her teammates on her cross country and track team, as they are all very close to each other and have pushed Villegas to become a better athlete overall.

Junior Varsity cross country runner, Anais Ayala (11), has witnessed Villegas accomplishing and persevering through so much in her final year of high school.

“I’m proud of her senior year,” Ayala said. “I know honestly she is the fastest on our team and so she faces a lot of people who may be jealous or push away from her. However, she still continues to try and become her personal best which is what I’m most proud of her for.”

Phoebe Kim (9) also found Villegas to consistently be a supportive Varsity teammate.

“Lauren is determined,” Kim said. “She is always determined to improve on any weaknesses she feels she has, and she is always very sweet and friendly to everyone around her.” 

As her time comes to a close for her final year at Ayala High School, Villegas is most grateful for all the help she gained during her four track and field and cross country seasons. 

“I feel like I wouldn’t have pushed myself as hard as I am during the season if it weren’t for my teammates,” Villegas said. “They are always there for me and I want to do good for them in the future. My coach, Coach [Tony] Dimarco, also definitely pushes me to do my best and just always believes in me and my abilities to do well.”

With Villegas’s exciting journey and career ahead of her for her star-filled time at UC Davis, the memories and learning experiences she made during high school are some she will never forget.