After a record-setting season, San Marcos distance runner Jacob Snodgress is looking forward to doing his best in the 800 meters in Friday night’s prelims at the CIF State Track & Field Championships.
After a remarkable season that saw some eight seconds shaved off his time — down to a school record 1:52.66 — competing against the state’s best is icing.
“I am very happy with how my season’s gone,” Snodgress said Thursday afternoon, just before he departed campus for Clovis with his coach, Marilyn Hantgin, and distance teammate Ethan Dwelley.
“If it had ended last week (at the CIF Masters), I still would have been very excited. But I’m always nervous before a race, and it would be amazing to make it to the finals” on Saturday.
“There’s always a chance you can pull off something crazy, so I’m excited.”
There is the chance he could be the first San Marcos state champion since Beau Allen in the high jump in 2019.
Why not? Hantgin said breaking Todd Tressler’s 800M 1992 school record, at the CIF prelims in early May, “really wasn’t on our radar this whole time.”
“He really has it in him,” Hantgin said. “I think he just kept surprising himself too, and us, week after week. He’s just so competitive. I mean, he’s going to run probably the fastest he’s ever run (Friday) night to make it into the finals” on Saturday.
At the same time, he should be able to just enjoy the moment, too, she said. He has shown he can handle pressure.
“Hopefully this weekend will be a little more relaxed, because, like, ‘I made it.’ There’s nothing to prove, I’m just here, running with these fast guys, and have some fun, and see what I can do.”
Dwelley just missed qualifying for the state meet in the 800 at the CIF prelims, finishing in 1:54.58. He’s accompanying Snodgress for moral support and as a practice partner, and to also enjoy the moment.
Discussing his race strategy, Snodgress said “I’d say I kind of map out every 200 meters to get the right speeds. And I think for me, my success just comes from latching onto other good runners and staying right behind them and going out 100 percent the last 200 meters to give it all you have.”
And that last kick has been impressing Hantgin all season.
“I am still amazed at how fast he is,” Hantgin said. “But he’s just got such a good mindset for it, he’s just super focused, believes in himself. He works really hard.
“Everything’s just come together for him. He takes it seriously, and he just doesn’t feel like he should lose — to anyone. So he says, ‘I’m just going to do it.’ It’s pretty awesome. He’s real smart too.”
She figures his journey to record time began at 1:57 early on, but Snodgress takes it back to 2-flat. That improvement is awesome, with possibly more to come as the competition stiffens.
“Until you run with those kind of guys, it’s hard to know what you can do,” Hantgin said.
Snodgress will attend UCLA next fall, where he hopes to be a walk-on for track.
“I’d think they’d want him,” Hantgin said.
The state meet prelims start at 8:30 p.m. on Friday (to avoid the Central Valley heat). Final races are Saturday evening.