EDINBURG —Edinburg High Bobcats’ senior Gio Zavala had not been a part of the 4x200meter relay team since his junior season. Still, interim track and field head coach Jason Flores approached him, asking Zavala if he was willing to compete in the event during the area meet to give the team a better chance to advance to regionals.
Initially, Zavala met the idea with hesitation, with the move meaning he would have to drop out of one of his three races due to the UIL only allowing athletes to compete in three running events per meet.
Still, he decided to put the team first, pulling out of the 200-meter dash, and anchoring the Bobcats relay team at the area meet, helping them advance to the Region IV-6A track meet.
“He opted out of the open 200, one of the events that he favors the most,” Flores said. “He decided to help his teammates get to regionals, which he did. It’s a great accomplishment. It’s something that not a lot of people would do. He had the courage to go out there and provided leadership for his teammates.”
Now, Zavala is taking his speed and talents to the next level, signing his national letter of intent on Friday at the Edinburg High Gymnasium, committing to continue his academic and track career at Southwestern University, an NCAA Division III school that competes in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Zavala plans competing in the 100- and 200-meter dash for the Pirates, with goals of being a part of the 4×100 relay team as well.
He finishes his career with the Bobcats as a two-year letter winner, with regional appearances in the 100-meter dash and the 4×100 and 4×200 meter relays Zavala said the thought of continuing his track career in college was a dream of his since the moment he stepped on the track as a freshman. After COVID-19 cut his junior season short, Zavala worked on his craft for a year, hoping to make that dream a reality.
During his senior year, Zavala set personal records in the 100- and 200-meter dash, with times of 10.93 and 22.75 seconds, respectively.
Zavala said running a sub-eleven during the 100-meter dash and a sub-twenty-two during the 200-meter dash confirmed for him that he was capable of competing in the collegiate ranks.
“Over the past years, blood, sweat and tears have gone into this training program,” Zavala said. “Honestly, I knew I was going to make it. Over the past year I’ve just been consistent and persistent with my goals and that’s where it got me today.
“I’ve been running track for about four years. But ever since I broke that 11 (second) barrier and that 22 (second) barrier in my races, that’s when I knew I could go play at the next level.”
Zavala plans to major in business administration and management while at Southwestern.