By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — As Jose Aleman watched some of his peers advance to state, the Sharyland Pioneer cross country runner couldn’t help but think back to a leg injury earlier in the year that set him back two weeks.
Though it appeared like a minor hiccup at the time, Aleman went on to finish fourth at the District 31-5A champions and 17th at the Region IV-5A meet — both dissatisfying marks for Aleman, who aspired to medal at state in 2014.
“I should’ve been progressing gradually,” Aleman said, “but I never got to my full potential. It really messed up my rhythm.
“But this year, I’m going for first.”
With a relatively clean bill of health, Aleman is confident he’s hitting his stride at the right time. More than a week ago, the senior won his first meet of the year — at district — while guiding his team to a first-place finish.
Contrary to last season when he went to regionals alone, Aleman will have the support of his teammates when they begin their race at 11:30 a.m. today at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Aleman’s senior season has been tailored for this moment. Under the watchful eye of coach David Munson, Aleman has had to be restrained, at times, from working too much. Such is the pitfall of supervising an athlete looking to make the most of last high school opportunity.
“He had a decent first trip to (regionals),” Munson said, “but I know that he feels he could run with anybody in the region.”
Although Aleman isn’t decorated with first-place medals, the senior said he’s OK with it. Munson deliberately scheduled his Diamondbacks in some of the toughest meets earlier in the season — in some cases with Class 6A schools in the mix — trying to inspire his athletes to push a bit more.
As a group, they finished third in the elite portion of the Meet of Champions, while placing second in their invitational, ahead of Brownsville Rivera and Edinburg North, programs that went on to win their respective 6A districts.
With Aleman at the forefront, Munson likes his team’s chances going forward.
“He’s a great leader of us,” he said. “He’s going to have that front-runner edge. And if he gets out of the pack, he’ll carry us the rest of the way, hopefully to a title.”
The win at district was a boost for confidence for Aleman, who has tried to find the right combination between endurance and speed, while tapering his mileage, ahead of today’s meet.
His knee presented an issue midway through the season, but nothing too severe, he said. Unlike last year, he practiced virtually the entire season without any health concerns, a positive sign for the senior, who hopes to be hitting his peak with college coaches and recruiters in attendance.
The same drive and work ethic that have made him a standout runner have also aided his success in the classroom. That Munson is able to tell prospective colleges that Aleman ranks first in his class, along with first in district, makes him an easy sell.
“He’s the total package,” Munson said.
Before he can begin his course in petroleum engineering, Aleman has the responsibility of lifting Pioneer today as one of the two seniors on the team. Though described a quiet leader, Aleman’s hoping to make noise by helping the second-year program establish a winning culture moving forward.
“I have great expectations for us,” Aleman said. “I’m really excited about this opportunity, and hopefully our final goal is getting first at regionals and state. Medalling would be great, too.
“I just want to see us do the best that we can before I leave high school.”