NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — Edinburg North’s Beth Ramos put pen to paper Tuesday at a ceremony in her high school’s performing arts center to celebrate her signing with the University of Texas.
The Cougars distance runner reached the state level in both cross country and track and field each year she competed at the varsity level — a total of six times. Ramos will run cross country and track in Austin next season.
Her high school career was hampered by injuries, but she placed in the top 10 at state track on three occasions and finished 11th in the state cross country meet earlier this month.
Hip pains and shin splints weren’t enough to keep Ramos off the track or behind most of the field.
Edinburg North coach Homer Martinez used Ramos’ story to motivate the students who attended Tuesday’s ceremony.
“Beth has been through as hard a position as anybody could be in,” Martinez said. “Accomplishing what she has with all the pain that she had to go through, there’s nothing that’s out there that we can’t overcome.”
Ramos signed her letter of intent earlier in the month, but the school allowed some of her peers, teammates and coaches to gather Tuesday afternoon.
Unlike many South Texans, Ramos didn’t bleed burnt orange her entire life. Only recently did she start to become intrigued by the possibility of being a Longhorn.
“After the visit, I knew I was going to go to that school. It was the best. It was just something I felt,” Ramos said. “I had never thought of going to UT until the end of my junior year.”
On her visit to Austin, Ramos fell in love with a lot of things about the campus, but the resources to keep her healthy and in peak form weighed into her decision.
“It’s probably one of the biggest things,” Ramos said. “They have trainers and other facilities to help you to protect from getting injured. And once you’re injured, they help you recover faster. And they have a strengthening program, so it will prevent me from getting injured. If I’m not hurt, I feel like I’m really going to compete to my potential.”
Another major factor for the senior was the ability to continue her education at a world-class institution. Ramos is ranked No. 2 in her class at Edinburg North. She plans to major in nursing at Texas and eventually would like to become a nurse anesthetist.
Ramos will be joined on the team by two other RGV distance runners who signed with the Longhorns in November — Rio Grande City’s Brandon Gracia and Edinburg IDEA Quest’s Valery Tobias.
“It’s great,” Ramos said. “It feels like I’m not the only one. I have people with me, so it feels better — more comfortable.”