By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
AUSTIN — Harlingen South’s Cierra Pena’s final attempt in the 6A long jump was the difference between winning a medal and missing an opportunity.
She rose to the occasion and recorded a 19-08 to set a new Rio Grande Valley long jump record and capture the bronze medal Saturday afternoon at the UIL state track and field meet in Austin.
“That last jump was either place and get a medal, or go back to the Valley empty-handed. I just concentrated on my feet, my form and getting up to the top so I could place in the top three,” Pena said.
Pena shattered the previous record of 19-0.75, which was set by Brownsville Porter’s Anna Martinez back in 1982.
The Harlingen South senior now holds all-time Valley records for both the long jump and the 100-meter dash, which she set at the District 32-6A meet with a time on 11.97.
“I came into this thing hoping to beat another Valley record,” Pena said. “So leaving high school track holding two records, which I beat by not just a little but a lot, feels awesome.”
Pena sat in fourth place prior to her final jump, but jumped into second place, passing Rockwall’s Kaylee Hinton.
However, it wasn’t for long.
Clear Springs’ Thai Williams followed Pena with a jump of 19-10 on her last attempt to secure silver.
Samiyah Samuels from Houston Cy-Springs took gold with a jump of 20-07.75.
Pena also competed in the 100-meter dash and came in ninth with a time of 12.40.
Despite falling short of her second medal of the day, the Harlingen South senior was happy to be among solid competition.
“It was a good experience and there are a lot of talented girls out there,” Pena said. “To make it to state in more than one individual event is just awesome. I knew I’d be competing with the best competition and that’s what I want so I can be ready for college track.”
RODRIGUEZ TAKES SILVER: La Feria’s Carlos Rodriguez made it to Austin and had just one shot at a medal on the final day of the state meet.
In the 800-meter run, Rodriguez had a strong second lap and was able to sustain his distance from the rest of the pack as he crossed the finish line to take home a silver medal with a time of 1:56.40.
“All the hard work from the season willed me to the end and it was all mental from there,” Rodriguez, a junior, said. “We have a great track program and our coaches help us do everything we can to be at our best.”
Despite winning the Region IV-4A title, Rodriguez wasn’t sold on the fact that he could come into Austin and grab a medal, but his mentality soon changed prior to the race.
“At first I was iffy on whether or not I could come in and keep up, but I came to the conclusion that anything is possible if you put your heart into it,” he said. “I am still young and I feel that there is room to improve.”
Rodriguez’s time was a personal record for him.
CLASS 3A NOTES: Lyford senior Thalia Polanco didn’t have the same silver-metal performance that she had in Friday’s 3200-meter run during Saturday’s 1600-meter run.
She finished seventh overall with a time of 5:36.51.
“It was an amazing experience that has prepared me for what college can potentially be like, but I wish I could’ve done better,” Polanco said. “I felt more confident Friday than I did today. Still, I never thought I’d make it this far, but I pushed through.”
Elsewhere in Class 3A, Santa Rosa’s Leo Lara finished seventh in the long jump with a mark of 20-11.25.
Lara only had two jumps count and got off to a slow start, fouling his first two jumps.
“Scratching those attempts got to me a little bit. I thought I had the marks, but I just need to work harder for next time,” Lara said. “It’s going to make me work harder so I can try and make it back here to go for first.”
Lara qualified for the state meet by setting a school record with a jump of 22-01.5 at the region meet.
CLASS 6A: Harlingen’s Alberto Villarreal placed sixth overall in the pole vault after clearing 15-00 Saturday, but came out feeling confident and at ease with his performance.
“The competition was sturdy. I expected to come out, do the best I could and go full force,” Villarreal said. “Overall, it was a good experience. I came to state my senior year and was able to end with a boom; I’m pretty pleased with myself.”
Villarreal came into the meet as the “wild card” selected by the UIL to be the ninth competitor to join the regional qualifiers.
SILVER LINING: Friday was also a big day for Lyford senior Thalia Polanco, who made her debut at the UIL state track and field meet in dramatic fashion.
In front of a large crowd and in the rain, Polanco took home the silver medal in the 3200-meter run with a personal-best time of 11:21.40 Friday morning.
She bested her 12:02.03 qualifying time from the Region IV-3A meet.
Holliday High School’s Cryslan Tucker finished in first with a time of 11:14.73, while Polanco came in more than 18 seconds ahead of bronze medalist Chandra Westbrook.
While Polanco felt good about her medal chances in the days coming in, her performance Friday was more than just satisfying to her.
“When I looked up (at the scoreboard), I was actually surprised; I didn’t really think I’d be able to run that time,” Polanco said. “I was hoping to run in the rain today because they say it’s fun, so I went out there and just had some fun.”
Someone who wasn’t shocked, was Lyford girls head track coach Marissa Chapa, who has coached Polanco since middle school.
“I’m proud of her,” Chapa said. “Thalia ran a smart race and ran really well. The last couple of days you could see that she just wanted more and was determined. I’m expecting big things from her on Saturday.”
Polanco participates in the 1600-meter run today at 2:45 p.m. and comes in with a regional time of 5:28.95, but after Friday’s performance, Polanco is just hoping she can post another PR time.
“I am certainly more confident coming into my next race and hopefully I can do well again, but it’s still anyone’s race.
MAKING THE BEST OF IT: For Rio Hondo junior Michael Zuniga, the state meet was all about making the best of his opportunities.
After Friday, Zuniga walked away from his first ever state tournament with a second-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 54-10.
Ethan Reed of Little Cypress-Mauriceville took home the gold with a mark of 57-07.05.
While Zuniga enjoyed the atmosphere, he feels like he benefited from the exposure.
“It was crazy day for being my first day at state; it was definitely a learning experience for me. I was just trying to do the best I can possibly do coming in,” Zuniga said.
Zuniga also competed in the discus throw and set a mark of 157-02, which was good for a fourth-place finish.
While not originally qualifying for the event, Zuniga was selected by the UIL to be the ninth participant in the field.
“I knew I had one of the furthest throws in the state, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to place fourth today; I knew I what I could do,” Zuniga said. “Today made me want to come out and win both events next year, so I’ll start preparing today.”
Also competing in shot put today was San Benito junior John Belmares, who became his program’s first state qualifier in 18 years.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Belmares’ day as he finished ninth overall with a throw of 49-08.7.
“I felt good about making state, but I can’t say I gave it all I got, but that’s just competition,” Belmares said. “It makes me feel good that I made it this far, so I just have to work harder next year.”