NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — Spring break doesn’t mean a break from the Valley track and field season. Instead, local athletes had the opportunity to show off their hard work in front of NCAA Division I coaches on Thursday at the UTRGV Classic and Twilight Distance Festival.
Progreso’s Everardo Esparza was one of the high schoolers who put on a show in Edinburg with his gold-medal time of 9 minutes, 48 seconds in the 3,200-meter race.
“I’m super stoked about the place,” Esparza said. “I usually don’t concern myself on where I’m running or what the stadium looks like or anything. I just came in focused on the race and hopefully win the race. I’m glad it came to that.”
Esparza, one of the top distance talents in the area, said his approach is to drop time every outing.
“So far, one of the goals we set before we even started the season was to PR (personal record) every race, and that’s what I’ve been doing so far,” Esparza said. “I think we’re trying to get under a 9:40 by the end of the season, even a 9:36.”
So far, he’s hit personal records in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. His 9:38 was his career-best 2-mile run.
The Red Ants senior also won the mile race on Thursday with a 4:35.75, ahead of Matthew Smith and Jacob Tremblay of Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial.
In the girls 3,200, Tessie Garcia of Weslaco East took the top spot after running an 11:51.79. She edged out Jolea Cortez of Corpus Christi Caroll, an athlete who signed to UTRGV at the start of the meet.
East’s Bryssa Guzman won gold in the triple jump with a mark of 33 feet, 7 inches, narrowly beating Shana Alvarado from Edcouch-Elsa, who jumped 33-02.
The Wildcats girls won the team competition with 110 points to Carroll’s 91. Sharyland High was the next best RGV team finisher, in fourth with 79.50 points.
Sharyland High’s Andrea Espinosa left her mark on the meet, finishing third in the 100 with a 12.79. The sophomore lost to out-of-area competition but said she enjoyed the experience.
“It was definitely an honor, especially being a sophomore, being able to get exposed to a higher level, and I guess the college life,” Espinosa said. “It’s been a really good experience, and hopefully maybe I’ll be able to run here.”
“It’s a great opportunity to see what I’m going up against,” Espinosa said. “Not so much in my district, but more once you get into the regional (meet) and the higher levels. Especially at such an early part of the season, it helps me prepare for the rest.”
Weslaco East’s Alvaro Medrano finished at the top of the field in the long jump. The Wildcats senior said the meet doubled as an opportunity to be noticed while preparing for his district leaps.
“It’s an experience, and I get to show the coaches who I am and where I’m from,” Medrano said. “It’s just going out there and having fun. I have a goal. Every meet is a stepping stone. For example, here I only jumped 24-03, but I’m going to get better, and the next meet and the next, and it builds up so I can compete for district.”
Edcouch-Elsa’s Vanessa Cerda took first place in the 800 run. She fought from a fifth-place position with 200 meters remaining into the lead during the homestretch of the race.
The freshman was a state qualifier during her first cross country season and showed off her poise on a college stage.
“I saw them, and I just started passing them,” Cerda said. “Once I was down to the last girl, I was like, ‘I can do it.’ It felt good knowing I could cross the line as number one.”
Harlingen High’s Roel Renterria owned the hurdle events with gold finishes in the 110 (15.84) and 300 (39.80) races.
Harlingen’s boys won the team title with 110 points. Ingleside High (95) and Corpus Christi Carroll (69) finished before the next RGV team, Weslaco East, which took fourth with 47 points.
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