PETER RASMUSSEN | STAFF WRITER
MERCEDES – Cross country courses aren’t always friendly to runners.
On Saturday, rain turned the 17th annual Mid-Valley Track Club meet’s race route into a muddy mess. Puddles of standing water were difficult to avoid and a canal of ankle-deep water was a challenge for some runners. If a runner’s foot sank in the mud, the canal’s water was calf deep.
Some of the competitors misjudged the depth of the canal at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Showgrounds and fell.
The canal always has water with or without rain, and there are always lifeguards on hand at the race for precautionary reasons. Three were there Saturday.
The individual boys winner, Hidalgo junior Moises Campos, took the less-than-ideal conditions in stride, even welcoming a course that provides obstacles.
“It actually pumped me up,” Campos said about the course. “It made me feel good. This is what cross country is about, racing in the mud or whatever conditions there are. I really like the mud. It gets me pumped to run in the rain.”
As for the canal, Campos called it “pretty cool.”
“We don’t get too much things in the Valley like this,” he added.
Whatever extra adrenaline the conditions gave Campos, he needed. He edged out Brownsville Rivera’s Christian Machuca.
Machuca took the lead from Campos late in the race. Campos needed to sprint the final 50 yards to make sure he won his first race of the season.
Campos, who was a state qualifier in 2013, said he was taken by surprise when Machuca passed him.
“(Machuca) had the speed and the endurance to stay up there,” Campos said. “I told myself, ‘No, this is my race’ and I just took off.”
Edcouch-Elsa’s Krysta Martinez won the girls individual title by a wide margin, winning the race in 18 minutes, 53 seconds. Donna IDEA’s Valery Tobias (19:57) finished second.
Martinez, who ran in the meet last season, knew what to expect of the course and adjusted to meet her goals. She expected her time might be a little slower Saturday because of the conditions.
“I’m really proud of myself,” Martinez said. “I was able to hit the time I wanted.”
Martinez’s best time this season is 18:42.55 at the Harlingen Invitational two weeks ago in Harlingen.
With three runners (Machuca, Anthony Garza, Jonathan Herrera) finishing in the top 10 and four (Manny Guerrero) in the top 20, Brownsville Rivera won the boys team title. Edcouch-Elsa won the girls team title with four runners (Martinez, Leslie Alvarado, Kelly Aguinaga, Dominique Ibarra) finishing in the top 20.
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RESULTS
MERCEDES – The following are the results of the Mid-Valley Track Club’s 17th annual cross country meet held Saturday at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Showgrounds.
Girls Team results – 1, Edcouch-Elsa 40; 2, Brownsville Hanna 47; 3, Harlingen High 66; 4, Donna North 77; 5, Hidalgo 105
Individual results – 1, Krysta Martinez, Edcouch-Elsa, 18:53; 2, Valery Tobias, Donna IDEA, 19:57; 3, Mariana Sanchez, Brownsville Hanna, 20:16; 4, Namoi Lucio, Brownsville Hanna, 20:23; 5, Crystal Lopez, Harlingen High, 20:41; 6, Leslie Alvarado, Edcouch-Elsa, 21:02; 7, Chelsea Rodriguez, Harlingen High, 21:18; 8, Kelly Aguinaga, Edcouch-Elsa, 21:29; 9, Monica Izaguirre, Mercedes, 21:40; 10, Brandy Endsley, Brownsville Rivera, 21:45; 11, Leslie Estrella, Brownsville Lopez, 21:48; 12, Estefania Mora, Donna North, 21:57; 13, Maddy Maltais, Tuloso Midway, 22;06; 14, Griselda Juarez, Donna North, 22:15; 15, Alice Garcia, Harlingen High, 22:17.21; 16, Imelda Garcia, Brownsville Lopez, 22:17.91; 17, Dominique Ibarra, Edcouch-Elsa, 22:19; 18, Carolina Moreno, Brownsville Hanna, 22:22; 19, Scarlet Salazar, Brownsville Hanna, 22:23; 20, Daisy Acunas, Donna North, 22:27.
Boys Team results – 1, Brownsville Rivera 49; 2, Mercedes 62; 3, PSJA Memorial 121; 4, Harlingen High 125; 5, Tuloso Midway 132.
Individual results – 1, Moises Campos, Hidalgo; 2, Christian Machuca, Brownsville Rivera; 3, Ace Castillo, Tuloso Midway; 4, Orser Rodriguez, Harlingen High; 5, Anthony Garza, Brownsville Rivera; 6, Jonathan Herrera, Brownsville Rivera; 7, Joshua Perez, Donna North; 8, David De Hoyos, Edcouch-Elsa; 9, Victor Gonzalez, Mercedes; 10, Victor Munoz, PSJA Memorial; 11, Jonathan Reyes, Mercedes; 12, Manny Guerrero, Brownsville Rivera; 13, Dominic Cavazos, Mercedes; 14, Matthew Peynado, Mercedes; 15, Manuel Gonzalez, Mercedes; 16, Angel Quisino, PSJA Memorial; 17, Rick Arellano, Donna North; 18, Victor Rodriguez, Brownsville Hanna; 19, Alo Acosta, Edcouch-Elsa; 20, Lorenzo Castaneda, Harlingen High.