By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Three swimmers and two divers are ready to compete among the best in the state.
Maya A. Imperial of Hanna, Ivana Besteiro of Los Fresnos, and Jonathan Ashford of Brownsville Veterans Memorial will each compete among the top swimmers in two different events, and Thadey Diaz of Lopez and Raul Garcia of Hanna will compete among the top divers during the 2015 UIL Swimming & Diving state meet beginning today and continuing through Saturday at the Texas Swim Center at the University of Texas in Austin.
Imperial will compete in the 200 individual medley (with a qualifying time of 2:18.22) and the 500 freestyle (5:27.88), and Besteiro is to swim in both the 50 freestyle (25.14) and the 100 freestyle (55.99) on the girls side. Ashford will compete in the 100-yard freestyle (49.29) and the 100 breaststroke (1:00.68) on the boys side.
Diaz qualified with a score of 304.35 and in the process broke the Lopez school record previously held by her older sister, Ednie. Garcia qualified with a score of 286.95, 3.35 points better than the next competitor in the regional to advance to the state meet.
Each athlete is dedicated to his or her craft. Not one competes in another sport, preferring to spend that time getting better in the pool.
“Yes, it’s all year round,” Imperial said. “It takes a lot of time. You really have to put in the hours in the pool and around the pool.”
It will be the first trip to the state meet for Imperial, a sophomore who just missed a chance last year. Diaz, a freshman, will be competing in her first season and Garcia, a senior, qualifies after only diving competitively the past two years.
This will be the second trip for juniors Besteiro and Ashford. Each advanced to state during their freshman seasons but fell short last year in the regional.
Regardless of the outcomes, coaches will continue to use the top meet as a benchmark on where their swimmers and divers need to aim.
“Our goals are always changing,” Hanna coach Sam Perez said. “I look at the state level competition and figure out where we need to be in the long run.”
Although athletes face stiff competition at the state level, it gives them the opportunity to prove they belong among the cream of the crop.
“We’re going to try and do our best and represent Brownsville and Lopez High School the best we can,” Lopez coach Ray Martinez Jr., said of Diaz. “Her main goal (this season) was to compete at that higher level, and she’s going to have the opportunity to compete with the best of the best in Texas.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.