By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Los Fresnos’ swimmers and divers have some major expectations for the coming year as District 32-6A and Region VIII-6A competition draws closer in late January and early February.
Among the athletes with a goal of qualifying for the UIL state meet Feb. 16-17 in Austin is the Falcons’ 400 freestyle relay composed of Danny Escamilla, Luis Osuna, Carlos Paredes and Will McKinney.
The relay members believe they are on course to do great things in 2018 as they set a school record in their event last weekend at the Pre-Regional Showcase at Brownsville’s Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center. Los Fresnos won the boys 400 freestyle relay at the meet in 3 minutes, 20.91 seconds.
“We’re excited about our 400-freestyle relay,” Los Fresnos swimming coach Jaime Perez said. “Breaking the (school) record is a goal they’ve had all (school) year and for them to accomplish it right now (heading into the new year), that’s just great.
“It gives us some added motivation to continue to work hard and to finish off the season strong (during the next couple of months),” Perez added. “I’m happy and excited for them.”
Paredes, a senior, said setting a school record in the event had added meaning for him.
“It’s been a goal of mine (to break that record) because my older brother was on the team that held it,” Paredes said. “My brother was the original (school) record holder and now I’ve knocked him off (the pedestal). It’s good for the team and it’s something we’ve been shooting for quite a long time.”
Added McKinney, the senior anchor of the relay, “It’s a great feeling knowing we’ve had our own part to play in the fastest (400 freestyle) relay in the history of Los Fresnos swimming. It’s a big deal to us and it serves as a motivator, more than anything else, to continue to push ourselves and strive to do better.
“These guys are my best friends and there’s no one else I’d rather be swimming with. I’m so proud of us.”
Getting to state is the ultimate goal for the relay members. Along the way they would like to break the pool record at the Clark Aquatic Center, which is the site of the 32-6A meet on Jan. 27 and the Region VIII-6A meet on Feb. 2-3. The pool record of 3:16.97 in the boys 400 freestyle relay was set at the beginning of 2017 by McAllen Memorial.
“Really, it feels awesome to be a part of this relay,” said Escamilla, also a senior. “These guys are my brothers and just to come together as a team (and do well) is great. We don’t just swim for ourselves, we swim for each other. We’re looking at regionals already. It’s a little scary because we have some other teams right behind us (and challenging us). We’re determined to go for state.”
Osuna, a junior, knows what it’s like to swim at the state meet. He qualified individually last season as a sophomore in the 500 freestyle.
“I feel very proud of myself and my teammates because we’re a family,” Osuna said. “We put our minds to it and we were determined to break the record. Yes, we just broke the record and what we hope is next is the pool record. It’s going to be tough, but with hard work, we can do it.
“(Except for me), these guys are all seniors and I just want to give them an opportunity to go to state,” Osuna added. “That’s something that would be a very good memory.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess