By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
In recent years, the last name Ruiz-Balli has been synonymous with throwing success in Pace girls track & field.
Yesenia Ruiz-Balli signed her letter of intent to throw for Texas A&M University Kingsville in 2014, and younger sister Gertrudis did the same in 2017.
That trend continued as Esmerelda Ruiz-Balli followed in her older sisters’ footsteps and signed her Division I letter of intent to throw for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley during a ceremony Thursday at Pace.
“It’s exciting, something new and something I’ve dreamed about,” Esmerelda said. “For me, it’s an accomplishment for me, my family, every coach and friend that has been with me, and for my school, too.”
Throwing has been a throwing tradition for the Ruiz-Balli sisters, who have multiple district championships, regional appearances and one state medal between them in shot put and discus, but signing on the dotted line to throw in college or even make track & field a focus was far from a forgone conclusion when it came to Esmerelda.
But once the senior committed to it, she could not think of better athletes to look up to than her eldest siblings.
“(Getting here) was hard,” Esmerelda said. “My sisters have been my role models because they’re throwers who compete at A&M Kingsville. Watching them be successful was something that I wanted to do, too. At the beginning I didn’t want to do it, because sisters don’t always go together. At the end, I started loving the sport and it was something I had to do for me. I wanted to prove to myself that I’m good enough and that I could do it, and I worked hard. The hardest part was getting here, and I’m already there.”
Esmerelda put together quite a career at Pace, winning a District 32-5A title in the discus and qualifying for the District 31/32-5A area meet three times in both the discus and shot put. She also qualified to the regional meet one time in the discus.
Esmerelda has even traveled and competed in Mexico’s National Olympiad, where she placed sixth, adding not only to her list of accomplishments but forging many new relationships, contributing to an already fulfilling track & field experience she will remember for years to come.
“I learned to love sport,” she said. “It brought so many friendships, and I learned so much from it. I have that experience and even got to travel to Mexico, and I even met Olympic thrower Diego Del Real, who got fourth place at the Olympics, so being his friend is cool.”
Now, Esmerelda will compete with UTRGV, which finished fourth at the Western Athletic Conference Championships earlier this month.
In addition to throwing, Esmerelda is expected to take up the hammer throw while working with throwing coach Brad Foote, who was a big reason why the Pace standout chose UTRGV.
“I met the coach and I know his background,” Esmerelda said. “I know he works really hard with his athletes and believes in his athletes. To me, that’s going to be a good experience. I want to feel like the coach believes in me. I want them to train me, tell me what to do and even tell me what to eat. I want to know what that’s like.”
Pace interim girls track coach Frank Garza said Esmerelda is ready for the next level, citing her enthusiasm and work ethic as her strongest traits.
“I think what separates her from a lot of athletes is her dedication and work ethic,” he said. “She’s just worked tremendously in the weight room in the offseason. She always wants to improve and better her sisters. She’s always wanted to get to this point and earn that college scholarship, and further her education and chances of continuing in this sport. Track has opened up doors for her and she has just grown. She’s enjoyed the recognition she’s gotten and she knows this is where she belongs, and it’s what’s going to get her to the next level and get her postsecondary education. … She believes in herself.