CORPUS CHRISTI — Edinburg High’s Mia Guillen qualified for the cross-country regional meet as a freshman, setting the bar high for the rest of her career.
One year later, however, Guillen was unsure what her future held, missing her sophomore campaign after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma during the summer.
“It was a very emotional time for me,” Guillen said. “I really loved the sport, and I didn’t want to be 10 steps behind the other runners. That’s what I was afraid of the most. I didn’t want to struggle getting back to where I was prior to getting cancer. I just felt overwhelmed with everything going on.”
Guillen, now a senior, celebrated the two-year anniversary of her final treatment Oct. 22. On Monday, three days after that anniversary, she ran in the Region IV-6A cross-country meet at the Dugan Track and Soccer Stadium in Corpus Christi for a second straight year, finishing 27th with a time of 19:39.75.
“I just wanted to make sure I put everything in this race,” Guillen said. “Everything that I’ve worked for these past four years, every emotion, every fight. I wanted to put it all in this race.
“It’s pretty amazing. When I was laying down in the hospital, getting chemo, I never thought I would be having these achievements. I never thought I’d be hitting 19-minute marks.”
While her cross-country career might be over now, Guillen isn’t sure if she’s ready to hang up her running shoes, focusing on the upcoming track and field season, while hoping to continue racing collegiately.
“I just hope to improve my times (in track) and advance to regionals and possibly state,” Guillen said. “I want to make sure I put all I have and dedicate myself to what I love to do so I don’t have any regrets when I walk off the track after my last high school meet.
“Honestly, it’s been a hard four years. I feel partially burned out. But I still feel like I have a lot more to accomplish. I think right now, I’m in between hanging it up or not. But I’m really leaning towards trying to run in college.”
LAST RIDE
Several of the Valley’s top runners ran their last cross-country race donning their high school’s colors Monday, some just missing the cut for a state meet bid.
McAllen Memorial’s Sebastian Salinas fell just short of qualifying for state, finishing one spot back from a bid. Salinas wraps up his career as a four-time regional qualifier, while advancing to state once as a freshman.
Meanwhile, three-time District 30-5A champion Destiny Quintanilla (20:32.37) placed 27th during the Region IV-5A girls meet, closing her cross-country career at La Joya Palmview. Quintanilla, like Salinas, finishes as a four-time regional qualifier, advancing to state as a sophomore and junior.
FINAL COUNT
The Rio Grande Valley will be well-represented at the UIL’s state cross-country meet in two weeks, with 50 athletes earning spots.
On the girls’ side, 26 runners will hit the course at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock, with 21 advancing as a part of a team, while the remaining five nabbed individual bids.
Meanwhile, 24 boys will make the trip up, with 10 individual runners and two teams of seven advancing to state.