By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — For as long as he could remember, G.J. Reyna would watch signing ceremonies and think to himself, “I want to be the next one.” He felt that way after watching the televised events and those with his fellow Mission Veterans Memorial athletes.
So to have finally been in that seat, Reyna said, “was unreal.”
The Patriots track & field and cross country standout inked his letter of intent Wednesday with the University of Houston, drawing a close to what he described as “a long and stressful process.”
“It took a long time,” he said, “but Houston’s the place for me.”
On the heels of his signing ceremony, Mission Vets track coach David Longoria recalled meeting Reyna as a freshman. He said the two-sport standout had in mind then that he wanted to run at the next level.
“He spoke about becoming something here, for this program,” Longoria said.
Reyna did that in a variety of ways, winning the Meet of Champs and advancing to the state track & field meet, where the distance runner finished seventh.
For all the individual accolades he’s collected, Longoria said he’ll remember the lasting impact Reyna left on the two squads.
“His leadership qualities, his wanting to go beyond what we do here, to learn more, to become better, is what makes him special,” he said. “His way of approaching working out really influenced our sprinters and other event guys. It’s non-stop with him. We’re looking at some heavy workouts, and that went over to everyone else. They learned something about endurance, about outlasting a workout with a guy like G.J. leading the distance kids in that group.
“He’s just got a great work ethic. He’s not quitting on you. He’s going to find a way to get better.”
Last year, Reyna was one of the anchors on a Patriots track & field that helped the program win their first district title in history, along with Guillermo Galvan, a thrower, who is now in Houston.
Mission Vets cross country coach William Proctor remembers meeting Reyna and thinking he was “probably an average runner, at best.” But as he entered his sophomore year, Reyna flourished.
“He was very focused and dedicated,” Proctor said. “Always did whatever I asked, always giving his best at practice.”
In terms of his place in the cross country program’s history, Proctor called Reyna “one of the best we’ve had here.”
“As a competitor, he wasn’t going to let anyone beat him,” Proctor added. “His work ethic and his discipline (made him stand out). He was very mature.”
At Houston, Reyna will compete in both sports. In track & field, he’ll likely take part in the 5,000-meter run.
Having picked a school early in the signing period brought Reyna some relief.
“Now I could focus on school and track and running for the rest of the year,” Reyna said. “It’s going to be nice just to focus on that.”
The ceremony Wednesday put an end to a recruitment process that picked up steam as a junior.
Now, Longoria said, “We’re looking forward to him doing great things for us and leaving a mark on this program, which he already. But he’s hoping to get to state and regionals again.”