Padilla, of Westlake, wins 800 meters at finals
By Wayne Harrison
Acorn Sports Writer

After finishing second in the 1600-meter race, Daniella Padilla, a Westlake High School senior, came back strong to win the 800 meters at the Marmonte League championships at Royal High School in Simi Valley last Friday.

"I was a little more aggressive," said Padilla, who ran the 800 in 2:19.13. "I guess I was a little fired up from the previous race."

Padilla said there’s less thinking involved in the 800 vs. the 1600. And she prefers it that way.

"The 800 always comes more naturally than the mile (1600-meters), for me," she said. "It was more gutsy, it’s more like you’re running and there’s no room for mistakes. There’s no room for thinking, you just kind of have to go. In the mile, there’s strategy and there’s thought."

Padilla will be running at Columbia University in New York City next year, where she hopes to continue studying journalism, a pursuit she’s maintained during her junior and senior years of high school. At some point down the road, she may have to choose between running and journalism, she said.

"If I think that journalism is going to be my job, than ultimately I’m going to have to sacrifice one of them," Padilla said. "But for now, I’m really into running."

The Westlake senior has only been to New York once, during a visit to Columbia, but she said she likes the atmosphere on the track team there and is looking forward to competing at the next level as well as studying and living on the East Coast.

"I really enjoy the coach there and running seems natural. No one seems to be burned out," Padilla said regarding Columbia and its track athletes. "It is a Division I school which can be a lot of pressure. But I’ll be a freshman. I’ll be at the bottom of the pond, which is how I like it. It should be a lot of fun."

Padilla has some relatives on the East Coast, which should make the transition easier, and she said this was an offer she couldn’t refuse. Columbia has one of the best journalism schools in the nation.

"It will be a really big change, but I figure since I’ve been given this opportunity to travel and to see new things, and to be new places, I might as well do it," she said.