Career
Villarreal swam only in a long-distance freestyle double at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. On the second day of the Games, Villarreal placed thirty-third in the 400 m freestyle. Swimming in heat one, she came up with a fantastic swim on the final lap to pick up a third seed in 4:21.03, sufficiently enough for her lifetime best.
Five days later, in the 800 m freestyle, Villarreal participated in heat one against three other swimmers Ivanka Moralieva of Bulgaria, Lin Chi-chan of Chinese Taipei, and Cecilia Biagioli of Argentina.
Starting from last on an early length, she held off a challenge from Lin to grab a second seed and twenty-first overall in 8:54.79, two seconds below her entry standard.
