By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Weslaco East coach Tom Owens knew he had something special on his hands when college coaches began recruiting Jayven Cordova as a freshman.
“That was unusual,” Owens said. “They’d email me, and I’d say, ‘Thanks, coach, for the interest, but he’s only a freshman’ or ‘he’s only a sophomore.’
“They’d assume because of the level that he was running at that he was a senior.”
Four years later, Cordova is set to leave the cross country and track program as one of their most decorated runners, qualifying for regionals each season in both sports. And on Thursday, he put the finishing touches on his high school athletic career by signing to compete for UTRGV.
“My coach has been telling me since freshman year that it was possible (to compete at the collegiate level),” Cordova said. “It’s always been there, and I just needed to continue pushing myself.”
At UTRGV, Cordova will be reuniting with former teammate Albert Herrera, who is transferring from Arkansas Little Rock.
The senior said he generated interest for several universities, but was sold on UTRGV after making an official visit last month.
“They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Cordova said. “I think it was the teammates, they’re all like family. They treated me like family, and their philosophy is the same as Coach Owens’.”
In cross country, Cordova was a state qualifier in three out of four seasons, helping the Wildcats to an eighth place finish as a freshman. He was on the all-district first team three years, and twice earned a spot on the all-regional team. As a senior, he was named team captain.
In track and field, Cordova set a school record in the 1600-meter run, formerly held by Jose Martinez. And this year, Cordova broke his own record in the 1600 by clocking in at 4:19.02 at the Texas Relays.
He holds the second-fastest times in the 800 and 3200 in program history, and he finished his senior season as the district and area champion in the 1600 and 3200. At the regional meet in San Antonio last week, he set a personal record in the 3200, coming in at 9.23.75 to finish in third place (one shy of state).
Owens credited Cordova’s improvement to his re-dedication to the sport, saying the senior developed a senior demeanor this year.
“First three years, he was kind of a goofy kid,” Cordova said. “He was great, but I’d get frustrated sometimes. This year, he was focused and the results speak for itself.
“He would always work hard, but his senior year he recommitted himself to working hard. You could see the maturity. It was night and day. I know he’s going to have a great career.”