NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

AUSTIN — After sprinting the final 150 meters of the Class 6A 3,200-meter run at a breakneck pace, PSJA Memorial’s Cruz Gomez knew he had pushed hard enough for a silver medal despite sitting in the middle of the pack for a large chunk of the race. What he wasn’t sure of was who finished behind him.

Sure enough, it was Edinburg North’s Tristan Peña, who ran a similar final lap to earn his first state medal during his senior season.

“We did start in the front of the pack,” Gomez said. “When we started, I was telling Tristan, ‘Let’s go. This is our race.’”

The eight laps around the course featured many changes in positioning. Peña and Gomez started near the front, but Gomez fell toward the center of the pack during the middle laps, while Pena was in the rear.

During the final two laps, coaches started to yell, and the Valley runners realized it was now or never to make up ground.

“I told myself, ‘I’m not going to come here just to get fourth or get fifth,’” Gomez said. “This is my third time (at state) — my second time running the 32 — so now I have to get on that podium. It was a hell of a year, and it would have been sad to not get on that podium.”

He finished the race nearly two seconds better than his previous personal best by posting a 9:13.83, while Peña mirrored that accomplishment, trimming his personal record by a couple of seconds with a 9:15.18 at the state track meet Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

“We push each other all the races, and we just became friends from there,” Peña said. “People would think, ‘Wouldn’t you guys be enemies? Oh, wouldn’t you guys be enemies? Because he’s faster than you. He’s a junior’ No. He’s a great competitor. He has great talent, and I respect him for that. And he’s just a great friend — really humble — and he motivates me.”

In Gomez’s evening race, the 1,600, he again surged late to nearly claim his first career gold medal. He finished in 4:13.64, while Dereck Elkins of Stony Point won in 4:13.19.

The Wolverines junior was smiling after the finish, but he said he also felt he could have completed the comeback.

“I got a medal, but it’s not a gold medal,” Gomez said. “He was just right there. It’s bittersweet. I knew the pace was off. I still wanted to run fast. It feels amazing. I didn’t think I would be at this level. Coming from middle school, my favorite sport was soccer. Those guys are great. They’re fast. Hopefully, one day, I can be in the state champion spot.”

GOLD FOR GRULLA

Grulla thrower Abigail Flores led the entire competition in the Class 4A discus throw. Even with a sizable lead, she knew the tide could turn quickly. She wore a towel over her head while her opponents’ last two attempts fell short. The worrying turned into celebrating as she put her arms around her coach, Jesseca Carrera, as a state champion.

“I was worried at first, because you never know when girls can go out there and throw their best PR,” Flores said. “In finals, I was more relaxed. I knew I just had to go throw it.”

The junior’s desire to improve was evident after the win, when she explained she was slightly disappointed that she didn’t win with a personal record.

“It was exciting, but at the same time, I wanted to go out there and see how much I could throw before I could get first place,” Flores said.

PSJA Southwest shot putter Diego Treviño didn’t throw the sphere past 60 feet, which was his goal, but his 58 flat was enough for a fourth-place finish, falling just half an inch short of the podium. Treviño finished two spots ahead of Harlingen South’s Andrew Ott. Both are juniors and will be looking to return to state in a year.

In the girls 3,200 run, La Joya Palmview’s Brianna Robles ran a 10:54.68 for sixth place — two spots better than she ranked at state a season ago. In the 1,600 run, she took sixth again with a 5:00.1 thanks to a powerful finish. She made up ground late to nearly claim fifth place.

“It’s been a good experience, meeting people and just being able to progress as a runner, because before I was never able to run these times,” Robles said. “I’m just looking forward to hopefully getting better and hitting those times I want to hit in college.”

She’ll continue her career at Adams State University in Colorado. On Saturday, she took the time to acknowledge her teammates who have looked up to her and supported her along the way.
“It means a lot, because I know that a lot of them look of me. They train with me and push me through the hardest times,” Robles said.

Progreso’s Everardo Esparza was quick for three laps of the Class 4A 1,600 run. However, he couldn’t keep up the pace in the final lap and got passed by the field. He finished ninth with a 4:36.33. La Feria’s Reyes Rodriguez took fifth with a 4:29.83.

La Villa’s Robbie Sue Espericueta took silver at her first state track meet with a time of 2:22.00 in the 800 run.

Rodriguez of La Feria took control of the final lap and didn’t let anyone catch him with a 1:54.81 to earn a gold medal in the Class 4A 800.

Weslaco High wheelchair athlete Joe Solis competed admirably in his last of four high school state track meets, finishing sixth in the 100 and fourth in the 400. He was pleased with his growth over the years.

“I started with I think 22-23 seconds. I’m down all the way to 17-18 seconds. It’s a great feeling,” Solis said. “I couldn’t do it without my coaches pushing me. The mindset of me going out there, practicing and coming to state. It pushes me more out of high school.”

The next generation of RGV wheelchair representation, McAllen Memorial freshman Suzannah Swanson, was also strong in her first state meet. In her 100, she finished in 22.18 and initially crossed the line third but was awarded a silver medal due to a lane violation. In the 400, she finished third of four competitors. After the events, she needed an ice pack for the soreness but was happy to perform well.

“Very exciting getting medals in both my events and… tiring,” Swanson said before explaining her surprise silver. “I found out when I was up on the podium. They were like, ‘No, you’re in second,’ and I was just like, ‘What?’ It’s definitely very exciting and surprising.”

Edinburg Economedes’s Gustavo Vasquez jumped a 47-04.25 to take sixth place in the triple jump. In the jumping pit next door Weslaco’s Eleanor Arndt finished with an 18-09.25 to take seventh.

Mission High’s Alex Cordova ran a 49.15 in the 400 while overtaking two runners to claim seventh place.

In the 1,600 relay, Weslaco High’s girls ran a 4:03.30 and finished in ninth place. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln finished in 3:23.90, also taking ninth.

Los Fresnos junior Brianna Alex finished in eighth place in the Class 6A 100 hurdles with a time of 14.98. Her and Santa Rosa’s Alex Ayala, a 3A bronze medalist on Friday, were the Valley’s only hurdles representation.

McAllen Rowe’s Lorena Rios took eighth place in the discus throw with a 126-09.

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

AUSTIN — Entering the bell lap, Edinburg IDEA Quest senior Valery Tobias had some work to do if she wanted to make history and become the first Valley athlete to capture three consecutive state gold medals in a running event.

She made the right decisions and ended up in a familiar spot — at the podium with gold around her neck as Class 3A’s 800-meter run champion Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium at The University of Texas. Her time of 2 minutes, 15.28 seconds was more than a second quicker than second place.

“It was definitely tough,” Tobias said. “There’s no time to think during the race, because it’s just instinct. It’s whatever you feel is good. Just go with it, because it’s just two minutes or so, and they’re going to go by really quick.”

She started the staggered race in the seventh lane, and when the lanes collapsed and runners left their lanes in search of inside positioning, most of the nine runners were packed closely together.

“At the beginning, I was just determined to get out of there and make sure I wouldn’t get boxed in,” Tobias said.

She had to weave in and out of traffic, and she finally made the move to overtake the leader and claim first during the final 100 meters.

“At the end I was thinking, ‘It’s my last race — my last high school race,’ and I wanted to end on a good note,’” Tobias said. “I wouldn’t be able to do this, come here and have the confidence, without all my friends. They often reminded me that I could do it, and they gave me that boost of confidence that I was never able to get on my own. I’m just thankful for that: my friends, my coaches, my family.”

Tobias, who will run track and field at the University of Texas next school year, wasn’t done. She finished fourth in the 400 dash with a 59.06.

Progreso’s Everardo Esparza knows about the state competition from a cross country prospective. On Friday, the senior had his first taste of state track. He finished third in the 3,200 run with a time of 9:47.94.

He didn’t have an explanation for why his success translated so well, except for his pure love of running.

“I really don’t know. I just run,” Esparza said. “The main difference is I’m a little more of a cross country guy. I fell in love with cross country more than track. Track just grew into me after the few meets that I did my junior year. You have to be crazy to run long distance. You have to love the sport in order to do something like this. I guess it was just that: the love and passion of the sport.”

BODDEN THROWS BOMBS

Brownsville Veterans thrower Andres Bodden was a standout early in the day. He was the only Valley thrower tossing in both shot put and discus, and he had a strong start to his senior state meet.

Bodden earned third in the shot put with a throw of 53 feet, 6.5 inches. He said the strength of throwers in the Valley helped him prepare for the state meet.

“I knew the top guys in my region and in my area were going to be here at the state meet,” Bodden said. “It’s just a matter of competing today. I’ve competed against all these guys in the summer and throughout the year. I’ve seen all of them.”

A few hours later, he was in the ring again, this time for discus. He used a personal best 173-1 in his second-to-last throw to take a brief lead. He ended up claiming the silver medal in the event.

The day was special for Bodden not only because of the results, but because it was a precursor to his college career, as he will be a preferred walk-on with the Longhorns. He’ll join Tobias as well as Rio Grande City’s Brandon Gracia and Edinburg North’s Beth Ramos as RGV athletes taking their talents to the Forty Acres.

“It’s exciting. This is my dream school. This is the school I was coming to either way, whether I walked on or not,” Bodden said. “My whole family came here, and I’m just happy to be here.

OTHER VALLEY NOTABLES

Sharyland Pioneer’s Johnny Howell experienced a bitter end to high school throwing. He injured his leg while warming up before the shot put competition and was only able to complete one throw standing still for a 24-11.

His coach, Larry Howell, said that Johnny “had the meet” and was throwing in the mid-50s in warmups before the injury.

On the girls side, Sharyland Pioneer’s Daizy Monie in discus and Edcouch-Elsa’s Mackenzie Contreras in shot put finished ninth and eighth, respectively. Both are underclassmen and plan to use the experience to return stronger next season.

Mercedes’s Dominic Cavazos earned sixth in the 3,200 run with a time of 9:40.19. The UT Arlington commit and the Valley’s top distance runner in Class 5A didn’t want his 1,600 race to end with the same sour taste.

“I was kind of disappointed about that, because the shape I was in, I could have easily placed in the top three,” Cavazos said. “Mentally, I wasn’t there, and physically, I was just tired. After the 2-mile, I was kind of in a depressed mode, I guess, if you want to call it that; kind of a little slump. I actually didn’t get out of it until 45 minutes before the mile started.”

In the 1,600, Cavazos jumped out to a quick start by his standards, but he was in last place after one lap around the track. He stuck with his mantra of pacing, something a younger Cavazos might not have done.

“The first 100 meters, these guys were going full-out sprint,” Cavazos said. “I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to run my pace.’ Believe it or not, I was in dead last, but believe it or not, I was running faster than my pace.”

His pace paid off, and he caught a majority of the field. His comeback bid secured him a bronze medal and a final memento from his high school career with a 4:18.32.

“My freshman year, that would have been a totally different me,” Cavazos said. “I would have been out there and just trying to stay with the pack. Nine times out of 10, if you hit your pace, it’s going to be something good. It’s also motivating when you’re passing people versus when you take off 100 miles per hour and people start passing you.”

Sharyland High’s Valeria Diaz finished her 1,600 in eighth place with a time of 5:12.64, just .8 from a school record, according to her coach Melissa Dearth.

Alex Ayala of Santa Rosa finished with a bronze in the 300 hurdles with a time of 39.40.

Dariana Vasquez of La Feria earned a bronze medal in just her sophomore year. She finished the 3,200 in 11:31.77.

Edcouch-Elsa junior Bianca Cardenas didn’t have the day she wanted in the Class 5A pole vault. She was not able to clear the first jump and finished with a “no height.”

She reflected on her strong season, during which she became the Valley’s all-time record holder in girls vault.

“I am really proud of the fact that I accomplished so much in a couple of months,” Cardenas said. “I feel like the work I’ve been putting in will reflect my jumps next year. I’ll just take into consideration that having a no height sucks, so to make sure that doesn’t happen next year.”

Sharyland High senior Blake Klein soaked in the experience of the state triple jump, finishing fifth with a jump of 45-09.5.

“Comparing this to region is obviously different,” Klein said. “There’s a lot less jumps (at regionals). You see the list and you say, ‘OK, it’s beatable.’ Then you come here at state, and it’s the top in the state. Yeah, the competition is way better. I was so excited to qualify. All I wanted to do was qualify. I didn’t care about how I came here and jumped. It was just about the experience.”

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — At the regional track meet two weeks ago, McAllen Memorial freshman Suzannah Swanson was shaking hands and making friends with her fellow wheelchair athletes. The group of four others included Weslaco High’s Joe Solis, who Swanson knew from local races.

Her outgoing personality and willingness to strike up a conversation with strangers came as a surprise, especially when they heard she was only in ninth grade.

The regional meet was special for Swanson because she had the chance to compete against opponents instead of simply racing against the clock. In the Valley, she is the only female wheelchair athlete participating in track and field.

Swanson has been overcoming spina bifida — a birth condition that prevents proper spinal cord and spine development — to compete in athletics since she was 8 years old. She learned to swim at 4.

She showed up in a big way at regionals in San Antonio, posting times of 24.63 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 1:35.04 in the 400. Both were gold-medal times, and both set meet records.

“I mostly gravitated toward triathlons and swimming, because that’s what my older sister and my dad did — well, still do,” Swanson said. Her first triathlon, at 8 years old, was a success, but she wasn’t satisfied. “I got first, but I felt really slow. It’s difficult in the water. I’m basically dragging my lower half the body with me. It’s all arms.”

She joined track in seventh grade at Cathey Middle School, and that’s when she learned her legs could become sore. Usually, she has minimal feeling in her lower body. Nothing came easily as she improved.

“I was pretty slow in middle school. It took a lot of work to get where I was now,” Swanson said. “It helps a lot, already sort of having muscles. I’ve been pretty muscular in my upper body since I was little.”

McAllen Memorial girls track coach John Stanley has taken on the task of coaching her. In December, he received some pointers from Paralympic royalty Saúl Mendoza, a former Paralympic and Olympic champion for Mexico.

“Right from the get-go, Saúl told me, ‘This girl is going to be special. She’s got a lot of potential,’” Stanley said. “As soon as he told me that, all I did was convey that with her. To be honest, it doesn’t shock me. When you’re around people that expect greatness, she’s going to produce.”

Her father, Casey Swanson, who still cycles and competes in triathlons, was impressed by her hasty improvements.

“I’m surprised how much time she dropped in her events just over the past year,” Casey Swanson said. “She likes it so much, but the coaches have been so good.”

Casey Swanson said Suzannah’s ability to enjoy herself despite being alone for most of her races stands out.

“She’s all by herself a lot of time. It takes a lot to do that,” Casey Swanson said.

Stanley tried to remedy that as best he could. Whenever possible, he asked meet organizers to let Suzannah race against junior varsity competitors in open events like the 400 or 100.

“It makes a huge difference, even if it’s just subconsciously,” Suzannah said. “‘Oh, there’s someone next to me. I need to beat them.’”

She’ll have two more races this year to try to best her peers, and they will be her fullest high school races yet. Three other girls will fill the lanes in the 400 race, and six others will compete in the 100 today at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

In the sprint, she’ll be seeded third and run sandwiched between the first- and second-seeded racers, who were just more than a second quicker in their regional races.

While Suzannah, her father and her coaches are all hoping for gold, Casey knows that every race is an accomplishment, no matter the result.

“We couldn’t ask for more. I’m so impressed that she’s even out there,” Casey Swanson said. “It doesn’t matter if she places top three. Just that she gets out there and competes.”

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

McAllen Rowe girls track coach Lupe Soza has seen a lot during a coaching career that spans decades. This year’s trip to state will be special, because she’s taking an athlete, Lorena Rios, who was a work in progress for much of her career before finding the strength to complete a throw of 133 feet, 1 inch to advance with a regional silver medal in the Class 6A discus throw.

“This was a kid in physical education class, someone just told me to try her out in track,” Soza said. “This kid wasn’t an athlete in middle school. Her sophomore year, she threw in the JV division not good at all. And, believe it or not, her junior year, same old. She started going to camps here and there, and she got the hang of it. What helps a lot is this kid is extremely coachable, dedicated. She’s a workaholic.”

The first step, according to Soza, was to get Rios to trim down into better athletic shape. She joined the cross country team as a sophomore and continued to train with the group as a noncompetitor. This season, Soza even used Rios in the 100-meter dash on a few occasions.

When her silver medal throw stood as the advancing distance, Soza hugged Rios and thanked her for taking her back to state, even before Rios realized she had clinched her spot.

“We’re about inches away from each other’s nose,” Soza said. “I tell her, ‘Congratulations, you’re taking me state.’ She started crying. She didn’t have the slightest idea.”

According to the Rowe coach of 19 seasons, Rios is the first girl to represent Rowe at state since 2008.

Mackenzie Contreras, Edcouch-Elsa, shot put

If Yellow Jackets shot putter Mackenzie Contreras has nerves before her throws, they hardly show. Instead, fans around the throwing ring might notice her using some unconventional tactics to warm up.

“For my warmups, I go and do what I feel is best for me to do,” Contreras said after advancing to state on April 26 with a silver-medal throw of 40-9.5. “I barely started doing my tumbling and stuff for warmups last week, because it felt good. To keep my calmness, I just talk to other people and listen to music.”

Besides track, Contreras is a cheerleader and competitive powerlifter, and the combo seems to have worked well. She explained that push-ups keep her muscles warm before she gets in the ring, and she said her mentality for state will be the same as it was for regionals.

“I just think of it as a regular meet, stay relaxed and go out there and throw,” Contreras said. “I had a feeling I could do it. I’m just going to try to work harder to try to get top three. That’s my goal.”

Evan Williams, McAllen Memorial, 1,600-meter run

Evan Williams set two personal records at the Region IV-6A track meet two weeks ago in San Antonio. One came in the 3,200, in which he finished 11th. The other was set in a dramatic 1,600. Williams was a few steps behind the lead group when a number of runners fell out of position and had to scramble to recover.

The crash opened the door for Williams to qualify for his first state track meet with a second-place finish in 4:19.56. Even with the exciting opportunity, his workload at Memorial hasn’t relaxed.

“It’s a little difficult, because we have our AP exams and a lot of exams coming at the end of the year. I’m definitely very excited. Ready to see what the state meet has in store,” Williams said. “Tapering is the big one early (in the) week right now. We’re trying to do some harder workouts to build confidence going into these bigger races to know that you’re doing what these guys are doing.”

Abigail Flores, Grulla, discus

Grulla junior Abigail Flores is in only her third high school season, but she’s already making a return trip to Austin for the state meet. She’s hoping to upgrade her bronze medal from last season’s Class 4A competition to a slightly brighter tint.

After throwing 138-8 at regionals, Flores is ready for the return, Grulla discus and shot put coach Jesseca Carrera said.

“She’s pretty excited,” Carrera said. “She has one goal in mind, to go get that gold after she got third (last year). She goes out there every day trying to beat her own best. It’s been a long season already, but she wants to seal it with a good one.”

Carrera said Flores has a habit of raising her level as the stakes get higher.

“She placed third at Texas Relays against big-time competition, 6As and 5As,” Carrera said. “She likes to compete against the best throwers out there. She does like to compete against herself, but she likes to go against the best of the best.”

[email protected]

Other Valley State Qualifiers

Class 6A

Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 3,200, 1,600

Tristan Pena, Edinburg North, 3,200

Cruz Gomez, PSJA Memorial, 3,200, 1,600

Diego Trevino, PSJA Southwest, Shot put

Eleanor Arndt, Weslaco High, Long jump

Sky Tatum, Harlingen South, Discus

Andrew Ott, Harlingen South, Shot put

Gustavo Vasquez, Edinburg Economedes, Triple jump

Brianna Alex, Los Fresnos, 100 hurdles

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln boys 1,600 relay

Weslaco High girls 1,600 relay

Class 5A

Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High, 1,600

Bianca Cardenas, Edcouch-Elsa, Pole vault

Daizy Monie, Sharyland Pioneer, Discus

Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, Shot put

Andres Bodden, Brownsville Veterans, Discus

Blake Klein, Sharyland High, Triple jump

Class 4A

Alex Ayala, Santa Rosa, 300 hurdles

Everardo Esparza, Progreso, 1,600, 3,200

Class 3A

Sabrina Garcia, Brownsville IDEA Frontier, 1,600, 3,200

Dariana Vasquez, La Feria, 3,200

Reyes Rodriguez, La Feria, 800, 1600

Valery Tobias, Edinburg IDEA Quest, High jump, 400, 800

Class 2A

Kristen Aleman, Santa Maria, 3,200

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — When she first started running, Valery Tobias went zigzag. She didn’t know how to follow the pace cart in a cross country meet or set a good line around the track. That was five long years ago, when she was a seventh-grader at IDEA Quest in Edinburg.

Now, she’ll step on the track at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin with an opportunity to do something unprecedented in Valley track history — run to three straight gold medals. Tobias won UIL Class 3A gold in the 800-meter run during her sophomore and junior years with runs of 2 minutes, 15.21 seconds and 2:16.86, respectively.

She’ll have a packed Friday as she competes for gold in three events: high jump, 400 dash and 800 run.

Next year, Tobias will trade in her green and gold for the iconic burnt orange of the University of Texas. The soft-spoken senior admits that the pressure and nerves grew with her accomplishments.

“The process of practice and everything going in is totally different than the previous years,” Tobias said. “I’ve felt more pressure on myself, because it’s my last year, and I really want to perform to the best my abilities. Going into the UT field, I want to make this race my best one.”

Her coach at IDEA Quest, Robbie Cruz, always knew she had potential to run at the next level, even when she was learning the ropes of the sport in middle school. When a coach from Texas called to recruit Tobias, Cruz realized that potential was noticed by “the big times.”

Her time at the college preparatory campus will help her as she pursues a degree in health and society.

“Once I get there as a student — a freshman — I’ll see it different,” Tobias said. “It won’t be more of a racetrack; it will be more of a track where I go to practice. Going in there, I’ll feel more of a sense of, ‘I’ve been here. I know how to do it.’”

She’ll leap in the high jump at 10 a.m. Friday with a seed height of 5 feet, 4 inches. She also qualified for the 400 dash — a race she hasn’t run at the state level since she earned a sixth-place finish as a freshman. The 800 begins at 5:20 p.m., and the 400 gets underway at 6:45 p.m.

“Compared to the 800, it’s totally different. All these years, I’ve thought of the 400 as something just for fun,” Tobias said. “I didn’t expect to set a new PR (personal record) this year for myself. I’m just very happy to see that outcome.”

She ran the 400 in 58.31 seconds and will be seeded better than in the 800, in which she’s a two-time defending champion.

“The way she competes and her heart, it’s her,” Cruz said. “It’s all her in the end. That girl just has that competitive edge. Sometimes, she doesn’t present it right away. Every race, no matter where we’re at, she’s nervous. At the beginning of the race, she has all those nerves. But once that gun goes, that gets left behind her, with everything else.”

IDEA Quest opened the doors to its permanent campus in 2006, and the athletics took some time to pick up speed alongside the rigorous academics. UIL competition began in the 2008-09 school year with humble beginnings and young teams that didn’t include members of a senior class until 2011.

In the last few years, the school has found its way in District 32-3A. The girls basketball team won the first district title and playoff game in school history over the last two seasons, and the girls soccer team won a district title shortly after joining District 32-4A.

Tobias, like the baseball and softball teams at Quest, doesn’t have a practice field or track on campus, so she trains at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

“It shows a lot,” Cruz said about Tobias’s ability to overcome the lack of resources at Quest. “It doesn’t really matter where you’re at, as long as you believe in yourself. It sounds corny, but that’s what it’s all about.”

A gold medal would make Tobias the first RGV athlete to win three consecutive state gold medals in running events. Port Isabel’s Daniella Murchison accomplished the feat as a thrower.

Sabrina Garcia of Brownsville IDEA Frontier will also represent the school district as she competes in the 1,600 and 3,200 after running a pair of PR times at the regional meet.

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

ELSA — Even state qualifiers break their poles. On the first day back practicing at Edcouch-Elsa after earning silver at the Region IV-5A meet with a jump of 13 feet, 3 inches, Bianca Cardenas heard the familiar sound of fiberglass and carbon fiber snapping as she attempted a jump.

The pole she used to win district and area titles, plus set what was then the Valley girls pole vaulting record at the Meet of Champions, was gone. She lay on the mat for a second in some pain, but she quickly recovered.

Losing your pole is a challenge, but Cardenas has been making due with poles that are less than ideal since the seventh grade. She says she was too chubby for the poles available, but she gripped lower to compensate.

“Every pole, there’s a different feeling to it,” Cardenas said. “As long as you have your adrenaline and you feel confident, then I feel great in all my jumps. It’s just more confidence than anything.”

She broke a pole at one of her first high school competitions, according to her longtime coach Jamie Ochoa. But after a few minutes of tears, she was back on a different pole and ready to go.
Victor Cardenas, her father and an assistant coach for the E-E football team, recalls the scariest fall taking place during her sophomore year in Port Isabel. All of those moments seem like distant memories now as the junior prepares for her first state trip.

At the beginning of this season, Bianca Cardenas’s personal record was a respectable 12 feet, 1 inch. That mark was enough to put the Yellow Jackets’ vaulter near the top of the Valley’s best rankings for the year.

“It helps when you have somebody like Bianca — a natural athlete,” Ochoa said. “She could have been good at any sport, but I’m just glad for my sake she liked what she did over here in the pole vault, and she stuck with it.”

Now, less than a week from the UIL State Track Meet in Austin, Cardenas has cleared 13-03 and has her mind set on a new personal record and a medal at the highest stage.

At regionals, she had the smallest pole of the three remaining competitors when the advancing height was 13 feet — a mark she hit for a new personal best just a week prior. She didn’t make excuses and beat out the third-place jumper.

“I just hope to compete as best as I can and show the other girls that I am able to compete with them,” Cardenas said. “I am limited on resources compared to them.”

With Cardenas’ pole gone, the RGV pole vaulting community stepped up. The Mid-Valley and Weslaco, specifically, have helped Cardenas prepare.

Weslaco High has offered poles used by former standout and 2017 graduate Sydney Salinas so Cardenas can get work on a bigger pole. Weslaco East allowed Cardenas to train on its pole vault runway and pit to avoid the strong east-west winds at E-E.

“It’s really difficult when you don’t have the best days,” Cardenas said. “In Edcouch, it’s always windy, and it’s really hard to work with the wind, because it’s coming from the side of us.”

Cardenas will hope to take the same path as 2010 state champion April Benavides, who leaped a 12-0 on her way to Class 4A gold.

That championship jump eight years ago won’t cut it this year. Cardenas has seen top competition already this season. Late in March, she jumped at the 91st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, and her 12-06.75 earned her a silver medal in section B of the high school division.

She said she’s looking forward to a return to Austin, and she hopes to come back with hardware again.

“I jumped in the Texas Relays, and it was beautiful scenery. It is really awesome,” Cardenas said. “I’m just excited to go compete.”

Cardenas is one of two Edcouch-Elsa state qualifiers. Mackenzie Contreras will also compete in shot put at the Class 5A meet.

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

SAN JUAN — Pitching was the key to success in the first two games between PSJA High and Weslaco High, and that trend continued in a winner-take-all Game 3 of their Class 6A bi-district series. The Bears cruised to an 8-0 win at C.V. Cain Field behind the pitching of Elian Gonzalez.

Gonzalez found out hours before the first pitch that he would be taking the mound in the crucial game, and seven innings later he was being handed the game ball after a complete-game shutout that included four strikeouts.

“I was kind of nervous, because during the season, I wasn’t doing that well. But yeah, I did good,” Gonzalez said. “We have a good team and good defense. I was confident in myself, and I feel good that we’re advancing.”

Gonzalez didn’t give the Panthers much breathing room and rode substantial run support to move PSJA on to the area round against McAllen High, which won its bi-district Game 3 over Laredo United on Saturday.

A quick 1-2-3 top of the first inning from Gonzalez got his teammates into the batter’s box quickly, and they batted around to build a five-run cushion through one.

Devon DeLeon drove in the first run of the game with a close-call infield single to score leadoff man Juan Zambrano. Vicente Castillo was hit with a misplaced pitch by Weslaco starter Jacob Cavazos to bring up center fielder Trey Guajardo with the bases loaded.
The junior came through with a two-run double that highlighted the five-run first inning for the home squad.

“Just knowing that it’s my junior year, this isn’t the first time I’ve been in that situation,” Guajardo said. “Having the experience and the confidence to be up there, it’s huge, and I’m just glad I got the hit for my team.”

Guajardo said his group didn’t want to repeat its bi-district playoff exit from last season, when the Bears won Game 1 and then lost the next two. This time, they bounced back from a 2-1 loss Friday night in Weslaco to advance.

“Last year, we played United, (and in the) first game, we went up. We knew that we can’t let up at all,” Guajardo said. “We wanted to play great defense for Elian, and he pitched a hell of a game. We have full run support behind him. We did our jobs hitting, and he did the rest.”
Cheke Marroquin hit a chopper past second, and Cesar Cantu hit a sac fly to also drive in runs during the opening frame.

During PSJA’s half of the second inning, the skies unleashed about 45 minutes of heavy rain. With Guajardo at the plate again with the bases loaded, the umpire called to suspend the action. He drew a walk once play resumed, but the Bears’ lead stayed a 6-0.

In the top of third, after a 36-minute rain delay, Gonzalez pitched his only adventurous inning. The Panthers used small ball to load the bases. The junior pitcher showed no signs of panic and continued to throw strikes. The threat ended with Raul Camarena grounding out to Ariben Gutierrez at short.

“It was wet and not that hot, so during the rain, I went to throw,” Gonzalez said. “The mound was wet and not that hard, so I had to fix the mound.”

Even with a break during the game, Weslaco was unable to muster much offense and couldn’t string hits together.

PSJA coach Marco Guajardo said he knew the low-scoring games might end with both teams needing to rely on pitching depth.

“I talked to our guys about being more patient at the plate, because it was going to come down to the hitting,” Marco Guajardo said. “Usually, in a Game 3, you don’t know which pitcher is going to come out any-more. Your top guys are out. We got an early lead, and that brought them down a little bit, and our kids got excited. That’s what we needed.”

Trey Guajardo ended the game with three RBIs. Marroquin, Cantu and DeLeon also drove in runs.

PSJA High will face 30-6A champions and state-ranked McAllen High in the area round.

“If we play the way we played today, we can play with any team in the state,” Trey Guajardo said. “Knowing that it’s my junior year, and a lot of us, it isn’t our first time here. We’re going to continue to fight and hopefully make it through the second round.”

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Sharyland High’s Valeria Diaz came to the U.S. from Mexico three years ago. Her goals were to learn English fluently, earn her high school degree and become prepared for college. But perseverance in a new activity and a push from the 2016 Olympics helped her also fall in love with the track.

She learned the basics, then began to excel in distance running. On Wednesday, Diaz signed her national letter of intent to run on the women’s track team at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Her first display in front of Sharyland girls track coach Melissa Dearth was unimpressive. Diaz admitted she was “bad” when she started running. She had to learn from scratch. Now, she’s the school record-holder in the 3,200-meter run. She has her sights set on breaking the 1,600 record at the state meet in her final high school run. She won regional gold last weekend.

“My first year, I didn’t look good. I was really bad,” Diaz said. “But that helped me to motivate myself to become better. It feels really bad to be the back. I wanted to do better and stay with these girls. Each race, I was getting a new challenge.”

Dearth says she can usually recognize talent and ability. After seeing Diaz run for the first time, Dearth wasn’t sure if she’d be a varsity-caliber runner.

“She thought she had to use her hips. It was the main reason she ran a 19:10 on her first race at 2 miles (3,200 meters),” Dearth said.

With winning times typically in the 11-minute range, 19 minutes wouldn’t cut it. Diaz took coaching well, put her head down and worked.

She came from Mexico and followed an unusual track to graduation. She finished school in three years, taking heavy core classes to graduate her with her age group.

In 2016, Diaz was captivated by the runners at the Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt opened her eyes and created a passion.

“I started to like the sport. Actually, it was after watching the Olympics,” Diaz said. “That’s when I decided that I wanted to be better.”

Dearth said Diaz’s progress from that point was exponential.

“Night over day her junior (second) year,” Dearth said. “She was so driven, she ended up falling in love with it, where she was running 110 percent. Most of my cross country only know how to run to comfort. She knows how to go like 110 percent, past the point of pain. Now, she’s starting to run so much easier. It’s like it’s easy to her now.”

Her key in going from dead last in her first attempts to setting the school record (11:17.69) in the 3,200 was training with the boys team.

“She did know very early that she needed some more help, so she came to us,” boys cross country coach Joe Gonzalez said. “George Gutierrez is her training partner, and he’s there every morning with her at 6:30 in the morning. She doesn’t have the (athletics) class, so she is graduating in three years. That’s another hurdle for her. She had to go harder because of all that.”

Diaz said the most valuable lesson she learned from the guys was the value of being steady and not wearing out early.

“Pacing, basically,” Diaz said. “I used to start really fast, but now I know what I’m capable of doing, so I pace myself and do better because of that. Each lap, I’m supposed to hit a certain time, and I do it. And on the last lap, I give it my all.”

In the classroom, Diaz will study business. She is a part of BPA (Business Professionals of America) at Sharyland High.

Diaz won’t be the only Valley athlete on the Mavericks team. McAllen High’s Alanah Moreno signed last week, and Mercedes’ Dominic Cavazos has been committed since November.

“I’m really excited. I’m actually going to room with Alanah (Moreno), so I’m going to be with her,” Diaz said. “I feel really comfortable, because she’s also from the Valley, and she’s going to be a freshman also, so we’re going to have this experience together. I’m excited to see the potential and capabilities of the runners that are going over there”

[email protected]

NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER

SAN ANTONIO — The Valley shined bright in distance events for the second day in a row during the Region IV track meet Saturday at Alamo Stadium.

On Friday, RGV athletes took three out of four gold medals in the 3,200-meter run. On Saturday, in the 1,600, the Valley went a perfect four for four.

The difference Saturday was the Class 5A girls run. Sharyland High senior Valeria Diaz avenged a painful third-place finish after leading in the two-mile Friday to win a gold medal in the mile Saturday. Her time of 5 minutes, 14.21 seconds set the pace.

“Yesterday, I had some family issues, and I started too fast on the first lap. That was my mistake. It affected my whole race,” Diaz said. “Now, I tried to run my pace and then give it all at the end, and that was the outcome. I used those thoughts and put it into this race, and I prayed, and God, he helped me to do better. Also, my coach.”

Diaz, a University of Texas at Arlington commit, has seen major improvement from her sophomore year, when she said she needed 19 minutes to run two miles and hadn’t run a 5K. She qualified for her first state track meet, building on a strong school year during which she qualified for her first state cross country meet in November.

Brianna Robles, Cruz Gomez and Dominic Cavazos doubled up on their gold medals from Friday to repeat as champions. Robles finished in 4:59.25, Cavazos ran a 4:20.07, and Gomez took gold in 4:15.91.

The 6A boys race took a big twist when a runner from San Antonio Brandeis in the lead group wiped out and took runners with him, including Edinburg North’s Tristan Peña.

“I felt good throughout the whole race, and I felt like something like that was going to happen, because everyone was so bunched up, and I kept getting kicked on my heel,” Peña said. “I said, ‘Let me go up to the front so I can get out of trouble.’ But I guess moving to the front made it worse. As soon as I got back up, I felt this loss of energy where I couldn’t even move my legs. I did everything I could to catch up, and I got fifth.”

The fall opened the door for another strong miler, Evan Williams of McAllen Memorial, who dug deep to catch Austin Westlake’s Matt Kearney and take silver in 4:19.56

“I just told myself, ‘Believe, you hang with those guys.’ And look what happened,” Williams said before commenting on the strength of his peers from the Valley. “I came into the sport with those guys being my mentors. I always looked up to them. I look up to them, and I know they look at me. It helps you progress throughout the season and helps you prepare for these larger meets.”

EMOTIONAL HURLDES

Even after Los Fresnos hurdler Brianna Alex crossed the finish line and was handed the second-place badge by meet officials, she was skeptical. The top four finishers in the girls 100 hurdles were only separated by 11 hundredths of a second. Even a replay left questions about which two would advance to the state track meet.

“They gave me the little plaque thingy, but he was like, ‘It’s not official.’ So I was trying not to get my hopes up. But in my head, I was really hoping it was me,” Alex said. “When they put it on the board is when I knew officially, and I was like, ‘OK, I did it.’”

The junior said she was racing with a heavy heart because her mother is battling cancer. Even though her family couldn’t be in attendance, she felt the constant support.

“My dad had to work, and my mom has been texting me, calling me,” Alex said. “She’s in Houston right now. She has cancer, and she’s at MD Anderson (Cancer Center), but she said she would try to make it up there for state.”

CORDOVA KEEPS IT GOING

Mission High’s Alex Cordova is used to winning the 400 dash, but when he and the runner in the next lane made contact, he was thrown off.

“I was supposed to make a move there, but I bumped into the guy in the inside lane, and it caused me to slow down a little bit,” Cordova said. “I wasn’t going to give up, so I gave everything I had left to try to catch the guy in the end, but I didn’t have enough.”

Cordova finished second in 49.10.

“I for sure would have (caught him), but I can get that guy at state. That’s what it comes to,” Cordova said. “I’m very excited, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to go against state competitors. I should be at my perfect shape and stage of my life, and I’m going to go get it.”

RELAY JUBILATION

Eleanor Arndt, who already earned hardware on Friday with a long jump gold, was a major factor in helping Weslaco High advance in the 1,600 relay with a 3:53.08. She received the baton from Victoria Nguyen and took off with tons of speed, giving her team an edge for a qualifying spot with a split time of 57.9, as timed by her coach.

Lisamarie Sanchez (58.5) and Amity Ebard (57.4) finished strong, and the Panthers earned the silver.

“It’s my senior year, so it’s bittersweet, but I’m just glad that it happened this year and that everything fell into place,” Arndt said. “Qualifying for this event my freshman year and my senior year is full circle, and it just feels so good to do it with these girls who are young and going to be back next year. I know I’m leaving a sound legacy and a sound team behind.”

Advancing a week before her 18th birthday, Arndt said, “This is the icing on top. I don’t even need a cake now.”

In the final race of the day, the boys 1,600 relay, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln qualified with some drama. The Huskies entered the race with the top preliminary time, but meet champions Converse Judson showed their stuff in the finals for gold. Huskies anchor Kenneth Gonzalez was in second place but got caught in the last 100 meters by New Braunfels Canyon.

However, after an appeal and a delay, a Canyon runner was deemed to have cut off another athlete on a baton exchange. Canyon was disqualified, giving Juarez-Lincoln its first state relay berth.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Elias Gutierrez, who runs the lead lap, said. “We all thought we had a chance in the beginning, but Judson, they’re just a different breed. We ran as strong as we could, but it didn’t turn out to be our best race. It’s the best feeling for us, because we’ve never done it for our school. We’re trying to set the foundation for our younger kids, and it’s a blessing, honestly.”

WHEELING AND DEALING

Weslaco High senior Joe Solis and McAllen Memorial freshman Suzannah Swanson put on a strong display in the wheelchair division. Swanson, a freshman, set meet records in the 400 (1:35.04) and 100 (24.63) dashes.

Solis will make a fourth trip to the state meet. He finished the 400 in 1:03.42 and the 100 in 20.63.

—————

VALLEY HS TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS
UIL Region IV Meet
April 27-28
At Alamo Stadium, San Antonio
Class 5A Finals
Girls
Running Events
400-meter relay – 1, Austin LBJ, 47.28; 2, Boerne Champion, 48.51; 3, Victoria West, 49.03; 4, S.A. Sam Houston, 49.19; 5, S.A. Harlan, 49.19; 6, Austin Crockett, 49.49
800-meter run – 1, Bailey Goggans, Marble Falls, 2:10.01; 2, Brooke Barrington, C.C. Calallen, 2:14.12; 3, Ife Chris-Rotimi, Richmond Foster, 2:15.52; 4, Chlore Pena, Kerrville Tivy, 2:19.15; 5, Vanessa Cerda, Edcouch-Elsa, 2:22.30; 6, Zara Richardson, C.C. Veterans Memorial, 2:22.74
100-meter hurdles – 1, Ryleigh Redding, Victoria West, 15.41; 2, Hannah Biggs, Drippings Springs, 15.57; 3, Sarah Cauble, Marble Falls, 15.65; 4, Amber Jones, C.C. Vets, 15.72; 5, Idani Garza, Rio Grande City, 16.07; 6, Alexia Engel, Boerne Champion, 16.41
100-meter dash – 1, Xavia Thompson, Lockhart, 12.59; 2, Taylor Hill, Lamar Fulshear, 12.63; 3, Aniah Marshall, Austin Crockett, 12.65; 4, Zarrey Sams, Rosenberg Terry, 12.70; 5, Meosha Erving, Floresville, 12.73; 6, Rachel Horowitz, Austin LBJ, 12.83
800-meter relay – 1, Austin LBJ, 1:40.15; 2, Victoria West, 1:42.57; 3, Boerne Champion, 1:42.63; 4, Austin Crockett, 1:43.90; 5, Marble Falls, 1:44.15; 6, C.C. Flour Bluff, 1:44.84
400-meter dash – 1, Bailey Goggans, Marble Falls, 55.55; 2, Tia Murray, Rosenberg Lamar, 56.44; 3, Jasmine Henry, S.A. Harlan, 57.11; 4, Avery Kalsu, Dripping Springs, 57.91; 5, Mariana Velasquez, Victoria West, 59.48; 6, Ivrael Wardy, Austin Lanier, 59.56
300-meter hurdles – 1, Ryleigh Redding, Victoria West, 44.46; 2, Criselda Cruz, Alice, 45.32; 3, Alexis Mendoza, C.C. Ray, 45.82; 4, Ariel Bustamante, C.C. Vets, 46.46; 5, Brittyne La Mothe, Richmond Foster, 47.06; 6, Lightsey Puryear, Dripping Springs, 47.19
200-meter dash – 1, Sarah Porter, Austin LBJ, 24.94; 2, Layne Bolli, Boerne Champion, 25.42; 3, Zarrey Sams, Rosenberg Terry, 25.43; 4, Angela Wilder, C.C. Moody, 25.95; 5, Abby Barnett, Victoria East, 26.36; 6, Daniella Muniz, Rio Grande City, 26.38
1600-meter run – 1, Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High, 5:14.21; 2, Alex Rodriguez, Laredo Nixon, 5:15.87; 3, Emme Odonnell, Port Lavaca Calhoun, 5:21.02; 4, Ana Hernandez, Sharyland Pioneer, 5:21.46; 5, Ambrie Lizcano, Marble Falls, 5:26.22; 6, Haley Villalpando, Edcouch-Elsa, 5:28.35
1600-meter relay – 1, Boerne Champion, 3:53.13; 2, Austin LBJ, 3:53.25; 3, Richmond Foster, 3:57.78; 3, Dripping Springs, 4:00.42; 5, C.C. Carroll, 4:01.83; 6, C.C. Tuloso-Midway, 4:04.07
Wheelchair Division:
100-meter dash: Joe Solis, Weslaco High, 19.70
400-meter dash: Joe Solis, 1:08.08
Boys
Running Events
400-meter relay – 1, Angleton, 41.08; 2, Richmond Foster, 41.39; 3, Austin LBJ, 42.26; 4, C.C. Vets, 42.37; 5, Brownsville Vets, 42.73; 6, Alice, 43.08
800-meter run – 1, Bryce Kalsu, Dripping Springs, 1:53.27; 2, Christopher Wise, 1:53.78; 3, Collin Williams, Richmond Foster, 1:54.46; 4, Max Carmona, Brownsville Vets, 1:54.99; 5, Miguel Escamilla, Laredo Martin, 1:55.85; 6, Cosme Ibarra, Donna High, 1:55.99
100-meter hurdles – 1, Justin Wright, Dripping Springs, 14.93; 2, Daniel Anomneze, Rosenberg Lamar, 15.22; 3, Kenny Whitehurst, C.C. Flour Bluff, 15.42; 4, Justice McClure, C.C. Calallen, 15.45; 5, Ruslan Sultanov, C.C. Calallen, 15.45; 6, Bowen Fjord, Boerne Champion, 16.04
100-meter dash – 1, Wesley Asenuga, Richmond Foster, 10.65; 2, Jaleel Scott, Austin LBJ, 10.92; 3, Brailon Sanders, C.C. Moody, 10.94; 4, Logan Masters, Medina Valley, 11.13; 5, Davis Horne, C.C. Vets, 11.18; 6, Cameron Harris, Rosenberg Lamar, 11.31
800-meter relay – 1, Angleton, 1:26.84; 2, Alice, 1:27.93; 3, Austin LBJ, 1:27.97; 4, S.A. Sam Houston, 1:29.21; 5, Seguin, 1:29.47; 6, C.C. Ray, 1:29.89
400-meter dash – 1, Tolulope Badmus, Richmond Foster, 48.16; 2, William Greene, Angleton, 48.17; 3, Mariano Hernandez, Eagle Pass Winn, 48.89; 4, Cosme Ibarra, Donna High, 50.14; 5, Braden Sherron, C.C. Flour Bluff, 50.28; 6, Bryce Kalsu, Dripping Springs, 50.38
300-meter hurdles – 1, Donte Bourgeois, Austin LBJ, 38.78; 2, Bowen Fjord, Boerne Champion, 38.95; 3, Justin Wright, Dripping Springs, 38.96; 4, T.J. Stickler, Kerrville Tivy, 39.23; 5, Ross My’Kell, Angelton, 39.79; 6, Daniel Anomneze, Rosenberg Lamar, 40.05
200-meter dash – 1, Scott Jaleel, Austin LBJ, 21.98; 2, Tyron McDonald, Austin LBJ, 22.09; 3, Christian Young, Richmond Foster, 22.24; 4, Chris Bowie, Angleton, 22.39; 5, Brailon Sanders, C.C. Moody, 22.74; 6, Logan Masters, Medina Valley, 22.75
1600-meter run – 1, Dominic Cavazos, Mercedes, 4:20.07; 2, Bobby Holt, Dripping Springs, 4:22.14; 3, Ace Castillo, C.C. Tuloso-Midway, 4:23.40; 4, Cameron Kleiman, Austin LBJ, 4:24.49; 5, Juan Salinas, Laredo Nixon, 4:26.89; 6, River Bailey, Lockhart, 4:27.89
1600-meter relay – 1, Boerne Champion, 3:53.13; 2, Austin LBJ, 3:53.25; 3, Richmond Foster, 3:57.78; 4, Dripping Springs, 4:00.42; 5, C.C. Carroll, 4:01.83; 6, C.C. Tuloso-Midway, 4:04.07
Wheelchair Division:
100-meter dash: Joe Solis, Weslaco High, 19.70
400-meter dash: Joe Solis, 1:08.08
Class 6A Finals
Girls
Running Events
400-meter relay – 1, S.A. Reagan, 47.45; 2, Cibolo Steele, 47.65; 3, Converse Judson, 47.72; 4, Kyle Lehman, 47.92; 5, S.A. Clark, 48.42; 6, S.A. Johnson, 49.19
800-meter run – 1, Gabriela Bosquez, Buda Hays, 2:14.47; 2, Ashton Foytik, NB Canyon, 2:14.92; 3, Elina Mettaelae, Austin Westlake, 2:16.03; 4, Taigen Galvan, S.A. Brandeis, 2:16.17; 5, Lily Howe, Austin Westlake, 2:16.98; 6, Bailey Villalon, La Joya Palmview, 2:18.68
100-meter hurdles – 1, Janae Phoenix, S.A. Warren, 14.95; 2, Brianna Alex, Los Fresnos, 14.97; 3, Myesha Clack, S.A. East Central, 15.01; 4, Bailey Barnett, Del Rio, 15.05; 5, Kathia Nitsch, McAllen Memorial, 15.26; 6, Priscilla Jones, Austin Westlake, 15.35
100-meter dash – 1, Bria Arrant, Kyle Lehman, 12.09; 2, Cynthia Emeremnu, Laredo Alexander, 12.15; 3, Zskaira Williams, S.A. Reagan, 12.34; 4, Jasmine Montgomery, S.A. Reagan, 12.38; 5, Jade Neal, S.A. Taft, 12.61; 6, Luisa Cruz, Los Fresnos, 12.69
800-meter relay – 1, S.A. Reagan, 1:40.61; 2, S.A. East Central, 1:41.84; 3, Weslaco High, 1:43.12; 4, S.A. Health Careers, 1:43.21; 5, Los Fresnos, 1:44.36; 6, S.A. Johnson, 1:44.51
400-meter dash – 1, Jada Fleming, Cibolo Steele, 55.71; 2, Elizabeth Roca, Leander, 56.64; 3, Taylor Rioux, Austin Lake Travis, 56.74; 4, Alanna Robertson, S.A. Madison, 57.02; 5, Yazmine Martinez, Harlingen High, 57.71; 6, Atiana Hawkins, S.A. Taft, 58.94
300-meter hurdles – 1, Janae Phoenix, S.A. Warren, 43.07; 2, Kaycee Brown, Converse Judson, 43.82; 3, Kyndal Gladson, Del Rio, 45.17; 4, Jasmyn Tulloach, Harlingen High, 45.58; 5, Dania Turner, Converse Judson, 45.80; 6, Cameron McFadden, Buda Hays, 45.83
200-meter dash – 1, Brianna Rhodes, Clark, 24.95; 2, Jasmine Montgomery, S.A. Reagan, 25.19; 3, Alanna Robertson, S.A. Madison, 25.28; 4, Luis Cruz, Los Fresnos, 25.80; 5, Ashlan Cannon, S.A. East Central, 25.82; 6, Jourdann Evans Bledsoe, S.A. Reagan, 25.82
1600-meter run – 1, Brianna Robles, La Joya Palmview, 4:59.25; 2, Jordan Mathis, Austin Vandegrift, 5:02.32; 3, Monica Rivera, Eagle Pass, 5:06.42; 4, Andrea De La Rosa, 5:13.00; 5, Gemma Goddard, Austin Vandegrift, 5:13.67; 6, Sarah Wuest, New Braunsfels, 5:14.18
1600-meter relay – 1, Austin Westlake, 3:51.96; 2, Weslaco High, 3:53.08; 3, Comal Smithson Valley, 3:55.01; 4, S.A. Warren, 3:57.05; 5, Leander, 3:57.22; 6, Cibolo Steele, 3:59.55
Wheelchair Division:
100-meter dash: 1, Suzannah Swanson, McAllen Memorial, 24.63; 2, Melanie Peters, S.A. Alamo Heights, 28.45
400-meter dash: 1, Suzannah Swanson, McAllen Memorial, 1:35.04; 2, Melanie Peters, S.A. Alamo Heights, 1:48.72
Boys
Running Events
400-meter relay – 1, Converse Judson, 41.28; 2, Laredo United, 42.08; 3, S.A. Warren, 42.09; 4, Schertz Clemens, 42.26; 5, S.A. Johnson, 42.39; 6, Cedar Park Vista Ridge, 42.61
800-meter run – 1, Brendan Hebert, Austin Lake Travis, 1:54.20; 2, Victor Zuniga, S.A. Johnson, 1:54.47; 3, Carlos Rodriguez, S.A. Warren, 1:54.56; 4, Paco Rodriguez, McAllen High, 1:55.84; 5, Ryan Yost, S.A. Taft, 1:56.51; 6, Robbie Woodworth, Buda Hays, 1:57.65
110-meter hurdles – 1, Kenny Broadnax, Cibolo Steele, 14.03; 2, Tre’Bien Gilbert, Converse Judson, 14.29; 3, Dashawn Jones, Converse Judson, 14.37; 4, Kyle Marroquin, Edinburg Economedes, 14.82; 5, Logan Fraley, S.A. Brandeis, 14.83; 6, Sean Skaugen, McAllen Memorial, 14.90
100-meter dash – 1, Morgan Kenyon, Converse Judson, 10.87; 2, Alex Tirado, Laredo United, 11.12; 3, Devin Walker, Cedar Park Vista Ridge, 11.15; 4, Malik Robinson, S.A. Taft, 11.19; 5, Gabriel Plenty, Converse Judson, 11.22; 6, Nazzio Jack Hohn, S.A. Roosevelt, 11.23; 7, Gunnar Henderson, McAllen High, 11.24
800-meter relay – 1, Converse Judson, 1:24.95; 2, S.A. Johnson, 1:26.54; 3, New Braunsfels, 1:27.93; 4, PSJA High, 1:29.45; 5, San Benito, 1:29.71; 6, Weslaco High, 1:30.39
400-meter dash – 1, Gavin Davis, Leander, 48.94; 2, Alex Cordova, Mission High, 49.10; 3, Jacob Zuber, Comal Smithson Valley, 49.38; 4, Tyle Moore, Cibolo Steele, 50.05; 5, D’Carlo Calderon, Laredo United, 50.09; 6, Alejandro Rodriguez, McAllen High
300-meter hurdles – 1, Tre’Bien Gilbert, Converse Judson, 36.39; 2, Dashawn Jones, Converse Judson, 37.74; 3, Mason Mangum, Austin Westlake, 38.14; 4, Kenny Broadnax, Cibolo Steele, 38.35; 5, Roel Renterria, Harlingen High, 38.74; 6, Dante Heaganns, S.A. Madison, 38.97
200-meter dash – 1, Richard Kuykendoll, Judson, 21.78; Tristyn Wooley, SA Johnson, 21.87; 3, Dre-Quan Crawford, Judson, 21.98; 4, Alex Tirado, Laredo United, 22.18; 5, Ezrael Powell, Marshall, 22.44; Nazzio Jack John, Roosevelt, 22.47
1600-meter run – 1, Cruz Gomez, PSJA Memorial, 4:15.91; 2, Evan Williams, McAllen Memorial, 4:19.56; 3, Matthew Kearney, Austin Westlake, 4:19.62; 4, Max Smith, Del Rio, 4:20.24; 5, Tristan Pena, Edinburg North, 4:22.43; 6, Trevor Williams, McAllen Memorial, 4:22.95
1600-meter relay – 1, Converse Judson, 3:17.97; 2, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 3:20.73; 3, S.A. Johnson, 3:21.47; 4, S.A. Madison, 3:21.69; 5, New Braunfels, 3:22.72; 6, Austin Vandegrift, 3:22.72
Wheelchair Division:
100-meter dash: 1, Joe Solis, Weslaco High, 20.63; 2, Derek Funk, Converse Judson, 24.01; 3, Sam Derousse, S.A. Clark, 30.68
400-meter dash: 1, Joe Solis, 1:03.42; 2, Derek Funk, Converse Judson, 1:25.57; 3, Sam Derousse, S.A. Clark, 1:53.29

[email protected]

VALLEY HS TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS

UIL Region IV Meet

April 27-28

At Alamo Stadium, San Antonio

Class 5A Finals

Girls

Running Event

3200-meter run – Alexa Rodriguez, Laredo Nixon, 11:11.97; 2, Emme Odonnell, Port Lavaca Calhoun, 11:24.91; 3, Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High; 4, Ana Hernandez, Sharyland Pioneer, 11:28.32; 5, Beyonce Hernandez, Gregory-Portland, 11:39.96; 6, Erin Briley, Boerne Champion, 11:44.70

Field Events

Shot put – 1, Emily Habib, C.C. Flour Bluff, 41-01.00; 2, Mackenzie Contreras, Edcouch-Elsa, 40-09.5; 3, Veronica Garcia, Laredo Nixon, 40-02; 4, Charlee Salinas, Mission Vets, 39-01; 5, Tifanny Lopez, Memorial, 38-01

Discus – 1, Veronica Garcia, Laredo Nixon, 138-11; 2, Daizy Monie, 121-04; 3, Natalia Soto, Donna North, 120-10; 4, Kaylee Rodriguez, S.A. Edison, 113-01; 5, Ashley Navarro, Mission Vets, 112-05; 6, Mikayla Dockweiler, C.C. King, 112-03

Long jump – 1, Aniah Marshall, Austin Crockett, 18-07; 2, Zarrey Sams, Rosenberg Terry, 17-09.75; 3, Riley Floerke, Gregory-Portland, 17-08.25; 4, Taylor Hill, Lamar Fulshear, 17-02.5; 5, Daniella Muniz, Rio Grande City, 16-09.5; 6, Kolbey Henderson Angleton, 16-07.5

Triple jump – 1, Riley Floerke, Gregory-Portland, 37-03.5; 2, Aniah Marshall, Austin Crockett, 37-02.75; 3, Criselda Cruz, Alice, J37-02.75; 4, Charlize De La Garza, 36-01.5; 5, Landen Ross, C.C. King, 35-11.25; 6, Diana Perez, Sharyland High, 35-10.5

High jump – 1, Mary Lee, Seguin, 5-06; 2, Colby Gonzalez, Gregory-Portland, 5-02; 3, Maliha Crockett, C.C. Carroll, J5-02; 4, Charlize De La Garza, Mission Veterans, J5-02; 5, Lacey Brown, Austin Crockett, J5-02; 6, Chisom Bright-Osigwe, Angleton, 5-01

Pole Vault – 1, Riley Floerke, Gregory-Portland, 13-09; 2, Bianca Cardenas, Edcouch-Elsa, 13-03; 3, Ryleigh Redding, Victoria East, 13-00; 4, Madelene Maves, Richmond Foster, 10-06; 5, McKenzie McCoy, Gregory-Portland, J10-06

Boys

Running Event

3200-meter run – 1, Dominic Cavazos, Mercedes, 9:20.89; 2, Cameron Kleiman, Austin Johnson, 9:22.84; 3, Brandon Gracia, Rio Grande City, 9:22.89; 4, Foster Wilfong, Boerne Champion, 9:34.84; 5, Ace Castillo, C.C. Tuloso-Midway, 9:39.31; 6, Juan Salinas, Laredo Nixon, 9:40.59

Field Events

Shot put – 1, Johnny Howell, 57-09; 2, Andres Bodden, Brownsville Vets, 55-10.5; 3, Sergio Tijerina, Laredo Martin, 53-05.50; 4, Jamie Gomez, Rio Grande City, 52-08.00; 5, Maki Carabin, S.A. Alamo Heights, 52-01.50; 6, Rene Sandoval, C.C. Moody 50-10

Discus – 1, Andres Bodden, Brownsville Vets, 169-10; 2, Ronald Lozano, Highlands, 161-04; 3, Jamie Gomez, Rio Grande City, 156-04; 4, Jose Quintero, Brownsville Pace, 151-01; 5, Johnny Howell, Sharyland Pioneer, 149-04; 6, Alex Carmargo, S.A. Edison 141-09

Long jump – 1, Luke Boyers, Boerne Champion, 22-04.5; 2, Tamerik Williams, Angleton, 20-11.5; 3, Austin Jones, Boerne Champion, 21-04; 4, My’Kell Ross, Angleton, 20-11.5; 5, Jalen Cleveland, Austin Johnson, 20-07.5; 6, Aaqui Stewart-Hartfield, S.A. Sam Houston, 20-01

Triple jump – 1, Blake Klein, Sharyland High, 46-04.25; 2, Amryn Williams, Richmond Foster, 45-11.75; 3, Reed Brunkenhofer, C.C. Calallen, 45-05; 4, Tajik Bartolomew, Austin Lanier, 54-04.25; 5, Dorien Shannon, Seguin, 45-02.5; 6, Austin Jones, Boerne Champion, 44-09

High jump – 1, Calvin Williams, Austin High, 6-07; 2, Aleu Alue, Austin High, 6-06; 3, Xavier Callandret, C.C. Miller, 6-02; 4, Archer Saenz, J6-02; 5, Parket Barret, Sharyland Pioneer, J6-02; 6, D’Andre Carroll, Uvalde, J6-02

Class 6A Finals

Girls

Running Event

3200-meter run – Alexa Rodriguez, Laredo Nixon, 11:11.97; 2, Emme Odonnell, Port Lavaca Calhoun, 11:24.91; 3, Valeria Diaz, Sharyland High; 4, Ana Hernandez, Sharyland Pioneer, 11:28.32; 5, Beyonce Hernandez, Gregory-Portland, 11:39.96; 6, Erin Briley, Boerne Champion, 11:44.70

Field Events

Shot put – 1, Torri Perkins, S.A. Holmes, 41-08; 2, Seauanna Watson, Kyle Lehman, 41-00.75; 3, Morgan Fey, S.A. Southwest, 40-05.75; 4, Nyah Anderson, S.A. Reagan, 39-01.25; 5, Alissa Martinez, S.A. Holmes, 38-08.75; 6, Nina Ledezma, S.A. Warren, 37-09.26

Discus – 1, Sadey Rodriguez, Laredo United, 155-01; 2, Lorena Rios, McAllen Rowe, 133-01; 3, Ciera Gonzalez, Weslaco High, 131-02; 4, Morgan Fey, S.A. Southwest, 129-03; 5, Brittany Cantu, Edinburg Economedes, 124-10; 6, Ashley Muniz, Los Fresnos, 114-06

Long jump – 1, Eleanor Arndt, Weslaco High, 18-7.5; 2, Nikayla Fitzgerald, Kyle Lehman, 17-11.5; 3, Shanice Nelson, S.A. Reagan, 17-02.25; 4, Selina Noe, S.A. Reagan, 16-11.5; 5, Tomi Sanni, S.A. Taft, J16-11.5; 6, Atiana Hawkins, S.A. Taft

Triple jump – 1, Riley Floerke, Gregory-Portland, 37-03.5; 2, Aniah Marshall, Austin Crockett, 37-02.75; 3, Criselda Cruz, Alice, J37-02.75; 4, Charlize De La Garza, Mission Veterans, 36-01.5; 5, Landen Ross, C.C. King, 35-11.25; 6, Diana Perez, Sharyland High, 35-10.5

High jump – 1, Reagan Casey, Buda Hays, 5-04; 2, Megan Palu, S.A. Marshall, J5-04; 3, Kyla Peeples, Austin Vandergrift, J5-04; 4, Kiana Gasque, S.A. Roosevelt, J5-04; 5, Bailey Barneet, Del Rio, 5-02; 6, Jenessah Santa Maria, Edinburg High, J5-02

Pole Vault – 1, Olivia Buntin, Comal Canyon, 12-09; 2, Lexie Leinnweber, New Braunfels, 12-03; 3, Avianna Trinidad, Comal Smithson Valley, 12; 4, Lauren Elliott, Comal Canyon, J12; 5, Lauren Sikoski, Buda Hays, 11-06; 6, Syanna Ullmann, Austin Vandergrift, 11

Boys

Running Event

3200-meter run – 1, Cruz Gomez, PSJA Memorial, 9:15.12; 2, Tristan Pena, Edinburg North, 9:17.85; 3, Nathan Perez, S.A. Warren, 9:18.07; 4, Ethan Hageman, S.A. Holmes, 9:21.97; 5, Max Smith, Del Rio, 9:27.27; 6, Matthew Kearny, Austin Westlake, 9:27.51

Field Events

Shot put – 1, Jared Tracy, Austin Lake Travis, 63-05.5; 2, Diego Trevino, PSJA Southwest, 63-03.5; 3, Andrew Ott, Harlingen South, 59-09; 4, Alex Rodriguez, La Joya High, 58-05.75; 5, Chase Harrell, Harlingen South, 57-07.5; 6, Dwayne Anthony, S.A. Madison, 53-01.5

Discus – 1, Sky Tatum, Harlingen South, 170-02; 2, Jared Tracy, Austin Lake Travis, 164-07; 3, Cristian Cortez, Harlingen South, 157; 4, Jamir Cooper, Cibolo Steele, 156-03; 5, Benjamin Ruiz, Harlingen South, 151-05; 6, Caleb Garcia, Eagle Pass, 150-04

Long jump – 1, Dillon Baker, Buda Hays, 22-04.75; 2, Moise FO Komla, S.A. Roosevelt, 22-04; 3, Sebastion Gonzalez, Mission High, 21-09.75; 4, Willie Johnson, Converse Judson, 21-07.5; 5, Gustavo Vasquez, Edinburg Economedes, 21-02.5; 6, Jose Garcia, Harlingen High, 20-10

Triple jump – 1, Jamal Anderson, S.A. Wagner, 48-07.5; 2, Tre’Bien Gilbert, Converse Judson, 45-09; 3, Gustavo Vasquez, Edinburg Economedes, 45-02; 4, Marcus Silvera, S.A. Lee, 44-10.5; 5, Reese Watson, Austin Vandergrift, 43-10; 6, Keion Thomas, S.A. Brennan

High jump – 1, Jack Scarborough, S.A. Johnson, 6-10; 2, Jeremiah Gilliam, Comal Smithson Valley, 6-06; 3, Chase Daniel, S.A. East Central, 6-04; 4, Julius Nwosu, S.A. Madison, J6-04; 5, Jamal Anderson, S.A. Wagner, J6-04; 6, Dylan Smith, S.A. Marshall, 6-02

Pole vault – 1, Logan Fraley, S.A. Brandeis, 16-03.25; 2, Marcus Ramirez, Harlingen South, 15-06; 3, Cody Bullard, S.A. Churchill, 15; 4, Jon Zapata, Weslaco High, J15; 5, Josiah Martinez, McAllen High, J15; 6, Henry Livingstone, S.A. Lee, j15