WATSONVILLE >> Three female runners were neck and neck for nearly half of the 3-mile Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Cross Country Championships on Thursday.

Scotts Valley High junior Ava Decleve pulled away from Aptos junior Maya Schiro and Santa Cruz freshman Isla Roake over the final 1 1/2 miles and increased her stride through the finish line to take first place in dominant fashion at Pinto Lake County Park.

“It was amazing, getting first here,” Decleve said. “I was not expecting that.”

Decleve won in 18 minutes, 13 seconds, and posted a 27-second margin of victory over the next closest runner to help the Falcons win their fourth straight title.

“Going into it, I was like, ‘I’m going to stay with the top runners.’ That’s my goal,” Decleve said. “And halfway through I was like, ‘Can I give a little more?’ I always think like, ‘Am I pushing it to my all?’ And then I just wonder if I can, and I did.”

Schiro (18:40) took second, and Roake (18:53) took third.

“Ava, she’s super great,” Roake said. “She always does a great job of pacing, but in the end, she’s like, ‘See ya later.’ She can go super fast.”Schiro was happy to challenge herself on a fun, but tough course.

“I’m feeling good, but it was rough,” she said. “I like this course a lot; I’ve had a lot of practice on it. It’s a fun course.”

Decleve took second in 17:47 last season behind teammate and four-time individual champion Ashlyn Boothby, who now competes for Stanford University.

Santa Cruz senior Amelia Palm (19:13) took fourth, and San Lorenzo Valley freshman Skyla Leggett (19:22) took fifth.

The top four teams advanced to the Central Coast Section Championships at Crystal Spring Cross Country Course in Belmont on Nov. 16, and the three individuals not on the top four teams advanced with at-large berths.

The Falcons placed all five of their scorers in the top 10 and finished with a score of 35.

Senior Violet McCutchen (19:34) took seventh and was followed across the finish line by juniors Dylan Turzak (19:37) and Jennifer Brownfield (19:43), and sophomore Hanna Shehorn (19:54).

San Lorenzo Valley had more wins than the Falcons during the dual-meet season and finished second in the championships with a score of 49 to officially win the league title.

Sophomore Beth Gabrielson (sixth in 19:33), senior Naomi Seastrom (11th in 20:06), freshman Stella Sutcliffe (13th in 20:25), and senior Ruby Evans (14th in 21:00) also scored for the Cougars.

Junior Chloe Hood (12th in 20:19), and freshmen Athena Pantos (20th in 21:48) and Amythyst Cowell (33rd in 27:38) also scored for the Cardinals (68).

Sophomore Naomi Brunelli (21st in 22:40), seniors Sophie Cornish (22nd in 22:49) and Grace Graff (26th in 23:42), and freshman Amber Chavez (28th in 24:59) also scored for the Mariners (93).

Harbor junior Hadassah Zev Cohen (16th in 21:27) and sophomore teammate Swan Houssin (19th in 21:45) both earned at-large berths to CCS, and led the Pirates (111) to fifth place.

Soquel junior Claire Ryan (17th in 21:34) also earned an at-large berth to CCS. The Knights had an incomplete squad.