BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
At the 2016 UIL State Class 3A Track and Field Meet on the University of Texas campus, Valery Tobias made history in the 800-meter run. She became the first IDEA athlete to win a gold medal in UIL track competition a year after capturing the silver medal as a freshman. In May, Tobias repeated as a gold medal champion in the 800 at this year’s UIL State Track and Field Meet, held once again at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
Those memories made Wednesday feel like a dream for the Edinburg IDEA Quest senior, who signed a partial scholarship agreement to run indoor and outdoor track with the University of Texas.
“When I went on a college visit to UT, I visited their track again,” Tobias said. “Seeing the stadium — without people in the stands and the other crowded areas — was different, but I was trying to imagine myself running and practicing there. It’s so amazing that I can’t even find the words to describe this feeling.”
Tobias and her family hail from Reynosa, Tamaulipas in Mexico but moved to the United States when Valery was 12.
“It was scary,” Tobias said. “Coming from Mexico into a different culture with a different language was like coming in blindfolded. Once I settled in and started going to school here, everybody was so welcoming. They made sure I had a good transition.”
When Tobias began attending Edinburg IDEA Quest for her seventh-grade year, she took the mandated physical education class with track coach Robbie Cruz.
“We had to run daily miles during PE,” Tobias said. “Coach Robbie (Cruz) asked me to run a mile like everybody else. I started running, and he noticed my time was unusual. At first, he didn’t believe the time, so he made me run the mile again.
“After I ran it again, he told me that I should run cross country. But I wasn’t familiar with what cross country or track was at all.”
Valery’s mom, Linda, watched in awe as her daughter morphed into a championship runner over three short years.
“It’s been a huge change,” Linda Tobias said. “To go from not knowing what track is to winning a silver medal at the state meet and then the gold is incredible. We had a lot of support from Coach Robbie. He has worked with the few resources the school has with a lot of heart and passion. It has made a huge impact on my daughter.”
Tobias talked to other schools throughout the recruiting process, including Oklahoma. UTRGV offered her a full-ride scholarship.
“UT Austin had been my top choice for a long time,” Tobias said. “Once they contacted me and my coach, I was so happy. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get in, but I wanted to show that I could attend the school and contribute to it, as well.”