BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
Weslaco — A quick glace at the results of the Weslaco Christmas Invitational gives the impression of an uneventful day at the pool for the girls of the Edinburg North swim team. Aside from Bianca Salinas’ first place performance in the 500 Yard Freestyle, no other member of the Lady Cougars won an individual or team event.
Despite the seemingly mundane performance, at day’s end the Edinburg North girls comfortably sat atop the girls team standings with 415 points, beating second place Edinburg High by a 95-point margin.
“We just swam well across the board,” Edinburg North swim coach Fernando Delgado said.
Though the Lady Cougars didn’t take home the day’s top prize with a slew of podium finishes, they did so with veteran consistency – including a third place showing from senior Abril Cantu in the 100 Yard Butterfly and a fifth place finish in the 200 Yard Individual Medley from senior Vanessa Velasquez.
“We have a large group of seniors,” Delgado said. “They’ve all been with me since they were freshman. That’s why the team’s been strong.”
The Lady Cougars swim team traditionally performs well, and has churned out such talent as Cassandra Sanchez, a recent graduate who currently attends the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on a swimming scholarship.
But nestled among the strong finishes of the Lady Cougar’s upperclassmen, however, was Kendra Moreno, a talented freshman who has impressed so far this season. At Weslaco, Moreno finished fourth in the 50- ard Freestyle with a time of 30.69 seconds, and was the lead swimmer in the 200 Yard Medley Relay.
“We’re mixing her in with the relays,” Delgado said. “Are relays are not set, though. We’re always trying to figure out which of our swimmers gives us the best chance to win.”
Moreno made a good case to remain on the relay unit after posting the second fastest individual time on her team with 37.52.
BOYS WILL BE BOYS
Where the Edinburg North girls flourished in the water, the boys of the Weslaco High team did so as well, placing second in boys competition with 370 points, just 16 point behind first place Harlingen High.
Standout individual times came from Francisco Cerda, a sophomore who placed second in the 200 Yard Freestyle with a time of 2:08.42, and the first place performance of senior Isaiah Crouse in the 100 Yard Freestyle with a time of 58.05
Weslaco coach Justin Esparza says the boys team is mostly made up of “younger swimmers,” but wasn’t prone to low expectations before the beginning of the season.
“I knew we had a lot of potential,” Esparza said. “They had a moment they were peaking during the summer, and I was kind of worried about that. But, in the fist six weeks of training, we broke all of our best times of last year. I was really pumped about that.”
Though Esparza is satisfied with his team’s success, the Panthers are still refining their technique in the run up to district competition next month.
“I’m changing up their workouts completely,” Esparza said. “Any time I feel like they’re plateauing, I change the workout routines so their muscles are always being tested. That’s led to huge improvements in their times.”
STIMULATED GROWTH
When Edinburg High swim coach Oscar Garza took over the Bobcats swimming program three years ago, he inherited a program devastated by the Edinburg ISD split.
“I only had 11 kids on the roster,” Garza said.
From those meager beginnings, participation has mushroomed along with results. The Bobcats swim team now consists of 56 kids, and finished second place in both boys and girls competition at Weslaco.
“I think it’s a good indicator of what these kids can do,” Garza said. “They’ve been busting their butts off, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work to compete with these other schools.”
Edinburg High’s boy’s relay teams took home first place in the 200 Yard medley relay, a unit comprised of upperclassmen.
“I tell them they really need to push themselves, and that they medal,” Garza said. “It’s a point of emphasis for my seniors and juniors.”
Members of the Bobcats took home first in several individual events as well, including David Garza in the boy’s 200 Yard Freestyle and Allison Tacderas in the girl’s 100 Yard freestyle.