Her time was the 19th fastest of the day among the 951 female competitors in five divisions, and 10th fastest by a senior among all races.
“I was going to be proud of Sadee regardless of where she finished [on Saturday],” Burroughs Coach John Peebles said.
“If you consider all the talented runners in California, and competing in Division I, finishing among the top 10 is huge.”
It is the second straight year Martinez has qualified for the state meet. In the 2006 race, she placed 20th in 18:43. She is the only cross-country runner — male or female — from Burroughs to qualify for state competition.
Martinez was able to run a tactical race Saturday, as many of the top runners pushed out to a quick start.
With the quick pace, Martinez found herself close to 30th place after the first mile. She bided her time, however, and began to move up, picking off runners who began to tire.
“It didn’t bother me that I was behind some of the runners earlier in the race,” Martinez said. “I don’t like to go out too fast, because I tire out. I just told myself to relax and just move up.”
Martinez moved up to 12th place at the two-mile mark and was 11th at three miles. Then, five kilometers from the finish, she made a final kick, sprinting and passing one last runner on her way into the chute.
“When I was close to the finish I could hear my dad [Jesse] yelling to me that I had a chance to finish top 10,” she said. “So I just sprinted as fast as I could. I don’t think I’ve ever sprinted so fast in my life.”
Martinez was able to advance to the state meet despite finishing third this season in the competitive Pacific League.
