BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Two years ago, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Yariel Matute didn’t even know what races were at a track meet. He was a basketball player, and that was it. Running had never crossed his mind.
Then, Juarez-Lincoln track coach Horacio Garza saw Matute working out in the school weight room and thought he could be useful in the long jump or triple jump. Matute gave running a shot at a JV meet out of boredom, and 16 months later he had developed into the Valley’s best 400-meter runner, finishing eighth at the state meet with a time of 48.05 seconds.
Come next season, Matute will be looking to continue his swift rise at UTRGV.
“It did come together really quickly. It’s a shocker in a way,” Matute said. “But in a good way.”
Matute made his college plans official on Monday, signing his letter of intent during a ceremony in the gymnasium at Juarez-Lincoln.
In front of a few dozen friends, Matute sat with his mother and coaches at a table practically covered with the plethora of medals he’s won in his short career. After everyone at the table took a few minutes to tell him how proud they were, Matute started to cry as he thanked them for their support.
“I got really emotional, because I’m making my mom proud,” Matute said. “That’s my main goal. That gets me really emotional. It makes me really happy, and brings out the tears in me.”
Matute said he hadn’t considered running in college until he ran a 49.33 at the District 30-6A meet just more than six weeks ago.
Garza saw the potential much earlier. After being plucked out of the weight room and getting a shot in the 1600-meter relay on a whim, Matute ran a 52-second split in his first — and last — JV race.
He only ran the 400 as an individual once last season, but took on the challenge this year and made steady improvement.
“The thing with him is he’s a very dedicated individual,” Garza said. “He wants to be the best at what he does, no matter what it is. It could be coloring, or it could be the 400-meter dash.”
Matute focused on improving a lot of little techniques during his two seasons — things like baton handoffs and getting out of the blocks quickly.
In doing so, he continued to shave seconds, all the way down to the 48.05 during his final race that ranks as the seventh-best time in Valley history.
“He’s been an excellent role model to the rest of the kids, and it’s been a blessing to actually have him and to work with him,” Garza said.
Matute received scholarship offers from UT-Arlington and Lindenwood and had interest from Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but he said UTRGV is where he “honestly always wanted to go.” He’ll be running on a partial scholarship and will have the luxury of being able to stay close to home.
He also projects to be competitive right away. The 400 time he posted at the state meet would have been good for fourth in the WAC Outdoor Championships and would be the best time posted by a UTPA athlete this season. It would also rank as the fifth-fastest time in the history of the UTPA program.
“I can compete in the WAC conference. I can hold my ground as a freshman,” Matute said. “I want to win the freshman of the year award, for sure.”
He plans to run the 400, 200, 1600 relay and 400 relay — pretty much anything 400 meters or less. Garza is confident Matute will thrive in whatever races he tries.
“He’ll be very successful,” Garza said. “He’s a very determined, hard-working young man. He’s going to do a great job. I’m anxious to see how well he does.”