MISSION — Mission Veterans distance runner Daniel Alamilla made his first regional appearance last year, finishing 38th at the Region IV-5A meet with a time of 17 minutes, 32.49 seconds.
Months before the start of his junior season, Alamilla wrote one goal for the 2021 campaign on a small chalkboard he keeps at his house: make state.
Alamilla achieved that Oct. 25, finishing sixth at the Region IV-5A cross-country meet with a time of 16:27.99, punching his ticket to the Class 5A state championship meet Nov. 5 in Round Rock.
“Honestly, I expected this,” Alamilla said. “I envisioned it for so long, it just had to come. I have it on a chalkboard in my house that I wrote down months ago. I did that, but I’m not finished yet. I want to PR big at the state meet and put my name out there.”
Alamilla’s breakout junior campaign comes as no surprise, Mission Veterans head coach Rafael Cantu said, seeing the potential for a special year from Alamilla from the first meet of the season.
“I knew Danny was going to be one of the best runners in our region,” Cantu said. “I just knew it. I had a feeling. In any sport, sometimes the results come right away. Other times you work, and work and you wonder when it’s going to happen. I just knew it was going to happen for him.
“That was the case for Danny. His first race of the year, he wins at Rio Grande City. I knew he was going to be one of the top runners in the Valley, region and state. It happened the first week and I knew something special was on the horizon.”
As a freshman, Alamilla said he was “probably one of the worst ones on the team.” During his first high school meet, Alamilla finished in 177th place at the RGV Classic Invitational with a time of 22:55.40.
By the end of the season, Alamilla dropped his time down to a then-personal best 19:10.80, making him fall in love with the sport.
“I started taking it seriously my freshman year,” Alamilla said. “I just fell in love with running. You work so hard and then you see success. That’s the best thing ever.”
Since then, he has shaved over seven minutes off his initial time, setting a personal record of 15:55.00 during the Mission Fly Like an Eagle Invitational on Sept. 20.
Alamilla’s improvement helped him capture the individual District 30-5A crown, finishing with a time of 14:26.93 in a three-mile course, more than one minute faster than the next competitor.
After reaching his goal of advancing to state and adding an individual district title to his resume, Alamilla has his eyes set on finishing his junior year strong, looking to set a new personal best and finish among the top 20 at the state meet.
“My goal is to be one of the best of the best,” Alamilla said. “To be like that, you can’t let anything stop you. That’s my motivation. I hoped to one day make state. I’ve earned it. I envisioned it all season long. I’m hoping for more and bigger things in the future.”
The University Interscholastic League’s cross country state championships are scheduled for Nov. 5-6 at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock.