By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The next step for 2017 Brownsville Veterans Memorial graduating seniors Cristina Pullen and Guillermo Laguna will be attending college out of state.
They’ll be playing their chosen sports at the next level, too.
Pullen will compete in golf and study pre-law at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while Laguna will play soccer and study communications/broadcasting at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. Carnegie Mellon competes in NCAA Division III and Graceland plays in NAIA Division I.
The two athletes, who rank among the top students academically at Brownsville Veterans, put their signatures on college scholarship agreements during Tuesday’s signing ceremony at the school auditorium with classmates, family, coaches, teachers and other Brownsville ISD personnel on hand to share in the eventful moment.
Out of a graduating class of 588, Pullen ranks in the top 6 percent academically and Laguna is in the top 20 percent.
On Tuesday, the auditorium was packed with people, including virtually the entire Class of 2017, with some attendees having to stand in the back.
“This day has been a little nerve-wracking, but exciting,” said Pullen, a member of the Lady Chargers golf team that within recent weeks won District 32-5A and Region IV-5A tournaments to become the first public school golf team from Brownsville to advance to the state tournament. “I appreciate all the people coming out and showing their support. It’s really special to me. I feel like I have an even bigger family now that I see everyone (from my class) here in one room.”
Pullen transferred to Brownsville Veterans two years ago from Austin St. Stephen’s. As a senior, she also played soccer for the Lady Chargers and earned first-team all-district honors as a defender.
“I love my old private school almost as much as I love (Brownsville) Veterans,” she said. “I have a family over there (at St. Stephen’s) and I have one here, too. That’s the best way I would describe it.
“I hope future golfers can learn from my experience,” she added. “You go out there and compete the best you can and you never know what might happen — go for the gold.”
Brownsville Veterans golf coach Jose Luis Zarate said he sees Pullen having a lot of potential to do well in her sport at the college level.
“Cristina brought experience to our team, having played at a younger age,” he said. “She’s been around golf for quite a while competitively outside of (high) school. She can be an intimidating player (for other golfers) because she can hit the ball far (off the tee). She made our team even better.”
Laguna was a two-year starter at midfielder/forward for the Chargers, who just completed their 2017 season with a 23-3-2 record, a 32-5A championship and a first-time trip to the Region IV-5A final where they came within one victory of advancing to state.
“This is another big step toward reaching my dream (of becoming a professional soccer player),” said Laguna, an All-Metro and all-district honoree. “I just need to continue my studies (in college), so I’m thankful for this opportunity. I want to lift up the team (at Graceland). I was told they were (NAIA) national champions in 2006 and the coach there (Bryan Courtney) wants to bring that (winning) back.
“The (Graceland) coach has motivated me to go there and the only thing I can say is I’m very thankful for this chance,” he added. “It’s been amazing to play for the Chargers and now go on to Graceland.
“I’ve got nothing to say but thank you to my parents, my coaches, my teammates and everyone who has supported me along the way. The experiences I’ve had and everything I’ve gone through has made me who I am today.”
Added Chargers soccer coach Alberto Vasquez, “Guillermo is a hard-worker, a competitor and someone with a great heart. He never complains. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for us. That kind of sacrifice just shows the love and passion he has for the game.”
Laguna and Pullen are each aware that by going to college out of state they’ll probably be playing their sports in a decidedly colder environment where they’ll certainly experience winter weather.
“I’ve never seen snow (so I’m looking forward to that),” Laguna said.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess