MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Cross Country and Track is excited to announce the addition of Ayla Granados to the coaching staff as an assistant coach. Granados brings experience and success from her days as a runner and her days coaching.
 
"I'm thrilled to be on board and apart of the coaching staff for the cross country and track programs here at SMC," Granados said. "Over the past five years, I've gained knowledge and valuable experience as an assistant coach at the NCAA DII & junior college level. I've also gained a valuable perspective from being an athlete myself. What I've learned as a coach, a student athlete and as a professional athlete will aid me to guide and mentor the student athletes at SMC on a holistic level."
 
Granados comes to Moraga after a stint at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, across the Peninsula. She served an assistant coaching role for the Argos for two years, while also attending their Master's program for her Master's in Business Administration. During the 2017-18 season, Granados coached at Chabot College, and before that was on the coaching staff of her alma mater, Chico State, for a pair of seasons.
 
"We are thrilled to announce Coach Ayla joining the Gaels," head coach Marty Kinsey commented about Granados. "She brings with her an abundance of experience and knowledge to the teams. She is also a high character individual who leads by example and embraces the values of the college."
 
Granados was a two-time All-American for the Wildcats in the 1500m and 5000m, and holds the program record at Chico State in the 1500m. She was named Runner of the Year in the CCAA during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, while helping the Wildcats to a Cross Country championship in 2013. Actively, Granados runs for Hoka One One, winning the 2019 USATF Club Cross Country Championships, while also earning top-ten finishes or better in the 5km Road Challenge and Indoor Championships. She is currently training for the Olympic Trials, as part of the Tokyo Olympics, now scheduled for 2021.
 
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