By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Port Isabel’s Madison Ramos and Rio Hondo’s Savanna Gonzalez were the lone Rio Grande Valley track & field athletes recognized for their seasons by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
Ramos was one of 20 juniors selected by the TGCA Track Committee among the Class 1A-4A all-star honorees and also earned all-state honors. She won the high jump championship at the District 32-4A, area and Region IV-4A meets in her strong junior season. Ramos advanced to the state meet and earned a bronze medal.
“It’s amazing … to get this last final recognition and good thing from this year. I worked so hard to get here, and I’m so glad that I’m getting this recognition and awards,” Ramos said. “A huge thank you to my friends, my family, my coaches, everybody that supports me. They’ve told me since freshman year I could do it, and it’s been a big motivation for me. And to the community for congratulating me and supporting me throughout the season.”
Ramos’s all-stars selection comes with the opportunity to attend a summer clinic with other honorees, and she’ll be presented at the all-star basketball game. She said she’s “super glad and proud” to get the recognition and that she’s really excited for the experience.
Ramos’ fantastic season in the high jump gives her extra motivation to work hard during the summer and perform even stronger in her final season with the Lady Tarpons. She wants her achievements to inspire her teammates to strive for big goals, too.
“It motivates me to work even harder, and to set bigger goals than I did this year and accomplish them. It feels really amazing to be able to (win a state medal) for my school and show everyone on our team that we can do this. I want to encourage my teammates to come to state next year because it’s a great experience and a lot of fun.”
The TGCA committee also selects Legacy All-Star teams for 1A-4A and 5A-6A, comprised only of senior athletes. Gonzalez, a four-year letterwinner in track & field and a multi-sport athlete at Rio Hondo, capped her strong Lady Bobcats career by being one of 20 athletes named to the 1A-4A Legacy all-star team.
Gonzalez earned silver and gold medals at the District 32-4A meet in the 300- and 100-meter hurdles, respectively. She placed third in the 300 hurdles at area to qualify for the regional meet, at which she finished 10th in the preliminary race. Gonzalez was a two-time area qualifier and advanced to the regional meet for the first time in her senior season.
Next up for the newly graduated Gonzalez, she’ll be attending Texas State University. Gonzalez will be following in her parents’ footsteps and studying education.
“It means everything to me, especially because of all the hard work I put in all four years of high school,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been doing (the hurdles) since seventh grade year, and I fell in love with it. I PRd in my 300 hurdles this year. I’ve had to practice a lot of hard drills. And it was hard because I was doing softball and track, so I only got to practice maybe three times a week. … I’d like to thank God, my family and coach Pablo De La Santos for their help.”