Gary Kazanjian photo Sammy Silva heads into Saturday's San Diego Section title meet as the defending Division III champion.

When Sammy Silva was a freshman at Academy of Our Lady of Peace, she didn't go out for cross country. Her mother didn't think it was a good idea.

“I wanted to run, but my mom didn't want me to lose any more weight,” said Silva, who barely topped 100 pounds. “I was kind of thin.”

Carmen Silva remembered it a little differently.

“She was kind of slim. I was afraid she was going to disappear. But there were other reasons, too,” her mother said. “You know how it is, starting a new school, especially one as difficult academically as OLP.

“Samantha was playing soccer, and that was two hours a day. I just wanted to make sure she could handle the academics and athletics.”

Silva, who picked up the nickname Sammy during her freshman year and says it fits her persona perfectly, waited until the spring to start running.

“I was so excited to find a sport where I was naturally good, where I could dominate,” said Silva, who was the fastest runner in a few junior high races but still considered herself a soccer player when she entered high school. “It's fun. It's like a lifestyle.”

After dominating the Western League championships last week, Silva is heading into Saturday's San Diego Section cross country championships at Morley Field as the defending Division III champion. She's even peeking ahead to the state championships a week later in Fresno.

In every race this year, Silva has run anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds faster than last season. Although she knows runners such as University City's Sheree Shea, whom she beat by two seconds last year, wait in the section championships, her primary goal is a state title.

“I'm extremely competitive,” said Silva, who has added 15 pounds while growing an inch since her freshman year. “All I've thought about all summer and all during my training this fall has gone toward winning the state.”

Silva, who lives in La Mesa, came close last year, when her second-place finish in the Division III race was an education unto itself.

Silva made a strong move at the 2-mile mark of the 3.1-mile race on the relatively flat Woodward Park course in Fresno, hoping to discourage the competition. It worked, except for Katy Daly of St. Ignatius in San Francisco, who stayed with the Pilots runner and slowly eased past over the final half-mile to win by seven seconds, 18:13 to 18:20.

“I was done,” Silva said. “I know you're supposed to focus on the runners ahead of you, but I looked back. My legs were rubber. I just didn't have anything left.”

Silva got former St. Augustine runner Colin Donnelly to help her train and has pushed herself to where she is in much better shape. As a five-minute 1,600-meter runner (5:00.64 to be exact), her expectations are high.

After finishing eighth at the Mount SAC Invitational last month, Silva was the only runner in the top 10 not smiling. She was also the only one from Division III.

“I wanted to be in the top five,” said Silva, who was challenging the real Mount SAC course for the first time. “I want to qualify for the Foot Locker Nationals Dec. 13 at Morley Field), so I have to be in the top eight at the Western Regionals (Dec. 6 at Mount SAC).

High expectations, but that's Silva.

“Winning state will give me that boost of confidence I need for Foot Locker,” she said. “And I really want to win state this year.”