By ROY HESS
Staff Writer
Andrea de la Rosa’s cross country/track running career is taking the Rivera standout all the way to Tennessee.
On Monday, de la Rosa, one of the top female long-distance runners in the Rio Grande Valley this school year, signed with Bethel University of McKenzie, Tenn.
She becomes the eighth runner from Rivera in recent years to sign with Bethel, which competes at the NAIA Division I level.
De la Rosa received interest from some NCAA Division I schools, but opted to begin her college running career next school year at Bethel, where she’ll have a number of already familiar teammates, including Jennifer Lopez, a 2018 Rivera graduate who signed to run for the Tennessee school last spring.
“First of all, I feel secure (signing with Bethel),” said de la Rosa, a District 32-6A champion during each of her four years at Rivera with her senior track & field season still ahead of her. “I don’t feel worried because there are some people (I know) waiting for me over there, so I feel it will be another welcome home.
“I love how this (school) year has gone and my accomplishments (so far as a senior),” added de la Rosa, who has qualified for UIL state meets multiple times in track and cross country. “It’s been my best season. I don’t recall any time that I would say ‘I didn’t do well’ (at my cross country meets this season), or anything like that. I’m so happy and I’m super, super excited to go to Bethel and do the same thing.”
Despite dealing with an injury as a sophomore, the Rivera standout went to state three times in cross country. This season, she won 32-6A again, took third place at the Region IV-6A meet in Corpus Christi and finished 20th at the state meet in Round Rock in early November. She was named third-team all-state for her finish at Round Rock.
Leading up to the regional meet this cross country season, de la Rosa placed first at eight straight meets.
“Andrea is aggressive (on the running course) and a very smart lady,” said Arturo Hurtado, her coach in cross country for four years who has coached at Rivera for 31 years. “She’s worked very hard to succeed. She’s having a great senior year.
“It’s a pleasure to coach a runner like her,” Hurtado added. “They come around only once in a while. I don’t have anything negative to say about her because she’s just a beautiful person. I have high expectations for how she will do in college.”
Jennifer Schuster, who coaches de la Rosa in track and cross country, said the coaches knew when she ran at practice for the first time as a freshman that they had an athlete with the qualities to be a winner.
“(The coaches) looked at each other (back then) and knew she would be a star, not just with her running, but with the heart she has,” Schuster said. “She has the determination and willpower to excel.”
De la Rosa said qualifying for the regional meet in track as a freshman gave her an indication that her high school running career would be a good one.
“It was eye-opening for me (to go to the regional meet) because I never thought I was that good,” she said. “And then going to state three times (in cross country), it’s just been amazing.”
De la Rosa plans to major in education at Bethel with the intent of becoming a teacher, and maybe even someday a coach.
“I just want to thank all my coaches and my mother (Alma Barajas) for all their support,” she said. “I’ll never get tired of saying that because without them I wouldn’t be me doing what I’m doing right now and have this success. My mom is my mom. She’s my inspiration to continue.”