By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Involvement in athletics has always been a vital part of Alondra Toledo’s life, especially running track and playing softball.
Toledo, a Brownsville Veterans Memorial senior, made sure that involvement will continue once she graduates as on Thursday she signed a college athletic scholarship agreement to run track at Graceland University next school year. Graceland is an NAIA Division I school in Lamoni, Iowa.
A signing ceremony took place Thursday afternoon at the Brownsville Veterans library with a number of fellow students, teammates, coaches, teachers and Brownsville ISD officials on hand to witness the milestone event.
“It’s a special day, not just for me, but for my family, too,” said Toledo, who is a standout in the sprint events for the Lady Chargers plus a key member of her track team’s 400- and 800-meter relays. “My family has put in a lot of hard work just like me by being there and taking me to a lot of track meets, practices and things like that, so it’s a special day for us to celebrate this accomplishment and the journey we have been through in track. My parents are Fernando and Laura Toledo and I thank them a lot.”
Toledo, who plans to pursue a college degree in the medical health field, also plays softball and is a center fielder for the defending District 32-5A champion Lady Chargers.
Track and softball figure to keep Toledo pretty busy during the coming spring seasons for those two sports. In track, her best event besides the relays is the 200-meter dash. She recorded a personal-best time of 26.7 seconds at last spring’s 32-5A meet. Toledo is a past regional qualifier who has been listed in the Valley bests.
“This day is very special,” Lady Chargers track coach Jaime Castaneda said. “Alondra is the first one from our (girls) program to officially sign like this, so she’s a trend-setter. Hopefully others will follow. During the past seven seasons that we’ve been in existence (with me as coach), she’s been the first. That’s a great start.
“Things that stand out to me about Alondra are her self-motivation and her discipline,” Castaneda added. “She’s just a very determined person in general, and I think that’s what really motivates her to do better and to reach the next level. She wants to improve every day.
“I wish her the best. I know she’s going to represent our school and our city very well.”
Toledo has enjoyed her time as a Brownsville Veterans athlete and is anticipating even more success during the coming year.
“What can I say? I love this school and the school pride we have,” Toledo said. “Everyone has been so helpful and supportive here. Everyone here just makes the athletes have a drive to succeed. I’m so thankful for the coaches and the staff at our school.
“I thank God for blessing me with the ability to run, helping me have success in what I do and just setting my future for me,” she added.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess