Ditty is content

Big Brown, she is not.

As the No. 12 seed in today’s 3,200 meters at the CIF Southern Section Masters meet, Sophia Ditty is a long shot. The sensational horse that has captivated many on his run toward a triple crown? That could be considered Christina Babcock of Woodbridge.

But for Ditty, she has already won her race. Running eight times around the track at Cerritos College today will be like victory laps for the Newport Harbor High senior.

Just making it to Masters has been a great accomplishment for Ditty.

Maybe she’s like Seabiscuit, not many pictured her getting this far when she was starting out as a freshman with the Sailors.

“I never thought of her as a varsity runner in track back when she was a freshman,� Newport Harbor Coach Eric Tweit said. “She long-jumped more than ran distance as a freshman and then all of a sudden in her sophomore year, she’s our sixth girl in cross country.�

And so the evolution of this Ditty began. The results sound so sweet to Tweit. He said he has rarely seen such a consistent improvement from season to season, year to year, that Ditty has made.

“It was kind of amazing,� Tweit said. “You couldn’t have drawn up an improvement pattern like that.�

Ditty, the Daily Pilot High School Female Athlete of the Week, hopes to keep improving as she continues to compete at the University of San Francisco in the fall.

The fact that she was able to commit to the Dons this year gave Ditty great satisfaction and reassured her that her dedication had paid off.

There were so many weekend nights Ditty politely turned down invites to parties or other outings. Instead she ate pasta, hung out with teammates and watched movies.

In the spring, it was the routine as she prepared for meets.

Ditty knew she never wanted to ask the question, what if? That’s why she stayed so committed.

“I just really wanted to make it to Masters,� Ditty said. “If I get to state, that’s awesome. But this season has been so amazing. I have no regrets at all. I’ll never be wishing to where I want to get or where I want to be, or wanting more. I’ve got it.�

Ditty is content because of what she accomplished at the CIF Southern Section Division II finals, running in the 3,200 in temperatures that reached 96 degrees.

Ditty, who finished second in the Sunset League, took fourth in Division II, coming in at 11 minutes, 6.24 seconds, just ahead of junior teammate Erica Pearson (11:06.70), who is the first alternate to run today.

“I was surprised to make it,� said Ditty, whose personal record in the 3,200 is 10:51.19 from her second-place performance at league finals. “I wasn’t a for-sure thing. I was on the bubble. I was really excited to make it. I was just really happy.�

She was just as thrilled in the fall, when she led Newport Harbor to the cross country state title in CIF Division II. For two straight years before her senior season, the Sailors had finished runner-up in Fresno.

But, as Harbor’s lead runner, Ditty led the Sailors to break through and capture the state title in stunning fashion. At the end of the season, Tweit named her the team’s MVP.

“She has had a great year already,� Tweit said. “There’s no pressure this week at all. Now that she’s there and has made it to Masters, she can just run.�

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].