Mira Costa's Frias Named California State Girls Athlete of the Year
Aug 09, 2022 07:03PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Photo via Dalia Frias
Mira Costa High School graduate Dalia Frias has capped off her record-setting year by being named California State Girls Athlete of the Year by CalHiSports.com, the journal of record for California high school sports.
The title comes just weeks after Frias set the National Federation of High Schools outdoor record for the girls' two-mile race.
That memorable race, according to CalHiSports, helped solidify Frias’ status "as one of the
elite distance runners in California history and secured her recognition
as the Cal-Hi Sports State Girls Athlete of the Year."
Frias joins an elite list of athletes who have won the honor previously. Volleyball star and Olympic gold medalist Alix Klineman, also from Mira Costa High School, was the winner in 2006-07.
Previous winners have included such bold-faced names as Lisa Leslie (basketball), Janet Evans (swimming), Tracy Austin (tennis), Mary Decker (track), Cathy Rigby (tennis), Peggy Fleming (figure skating), and Billie Jean King (tennis).
A Record-Breaking High School Career
Frias has
continued to earn accolades throughout her record-breaking high school
career. In March 2022, she set a new California state record in the mile race
with a time of 4:35.06 (the
second-fastest mile ever accomplished outdoors by a high school girl.)
Last
December, she placed fifth at the national Garmin RunningLane Cross
Country Championships, earning All-American honors in the process. At
the conclusion of the cross country season, she was named Gatorade's 2021/22 Girls Cross Country Player of the Year for California.
Earlier, during one stretch in Spring 2021, she broke three school records in
three weeks, including one track record that has stood in Manhattan Beach for 37 years.
Throughout this time, she maintained her status as a top student, with a GPA of 4.09.
