BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE and MARK MOLINA
STAFF WRITERS
AUSTIN — Edinburg Vela’s Reagan Olguin won bronze in the Class 5A boys 800-meter run during the second day of the UIL State Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium with a time of 1 minutes, 54.54 seconds. Despite the podium finish, he left disappointed.
“I didn’t go as fast as I wanted to,” Olguin said. “I went faster at regionals, I guess I just didn’t kick as hard on that last lap. It was a good race though, everyone ran well.”
Olguin set a regional meet record earlier this month in San Antonio with a gold-medal run of 1:53.12. Though his state-time was slightly slower than his previous race, Olguin says the Friday’s contest didn’t necessarily feel that way.
“The first lap had a real quick pace to it,” he said. “It was faster than what I wanted it to be. I was just trying to keep up. It threw me off my game plan a bit.”
Olguin ran much of the race near the front of the nine-pack of competitors and hovered between second and fifth place. In the final 125 meters, Olguin says he upped his pace.
“I knew I was in third,” he said. “I was just trying to catch second, but he was just too far away from me.”
Olguin was the second Vela athlete to medal Friday. The first was Brendon Rivera during the 5A boys high jump with a gold-medal attempt of 6-09. The SaberCats were also represented by two relays teams. The 4×200 relay placed ninth (1:32.82) and the 4×400 came in sixth (3:19.60.)
Other Upper-Valley athletes which competed but did not medal included Mission Veterans’ Zoe Alaniz, who placed fourth in the shot put wheelchair division with a throw of 13 feet, 7.5 inches. Alaniz’s mark was 2.5 inches off the third-place throw.
McAllen Memorial’s Anthony Esparza placed fourth in the Class 6A shot put (55-03.75). Victor Pedraza of PSJA Southwest placed seventh in the Class 5A 1600-meter run (4:25.93).
PERSONAL-BEST POLANCO
Lyford senior Thalia Polanco made her debut at the UIL state track and field meet in dramatic fashion.
In front of a large crowd and in the rain, Polanco took home the silver medal in the 3200-meter run with a personal-best time of 11:21.40 Friday morning at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
She bested her 12:02.03 qualifying time from the Region IV-3A meet.
Holliday High School’s Cryslan Tucker finished in first with a time of 11:14.73, while Polanco came in more than 18 seconds ahead of bronze medalist Chandra Westbrook.
While Polanco felt good about her medal chances in the days coming in, her performance Friday was more than just satisfying to her.
“When I looked up (at the scoreboard), I was actually surprised; I didn’t really think I’d be able to run that time,” Polanco said. “I was hoping to run in the rain today because they say it’s fun, so I went out there and just had some fun.”
Someone who wasn’t shocked, was Lyford girls head track coach Marissa Chapa, who has coached Polanco since middle school.
“I’m proud of her,” Chapa said. “Thalia ran a smart race and ran really well. The last couple of days you could see that she just wanted more and was determined. I’m expecting big things from her on Saturday.”
Polanco participates in the 1600-meter run today at 2:45 p.m. and comes in with a regional time of 5:28.95, but after Friday’s performance, Polanco is just hoping she can post another PR time.
“I am certainly more confident coming into my next race and hopefully I can do well again, but it’s still anyone’s race.
MAKING THE BEST OF IT
For Rio Hondo junior Michael Zuniga, the state meet was all about making the best of his opportunities.
After Friday, Zuniga walked away from his first ever state tournament with a second-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 54-10.
Ethan Reed of Little Cypress-Mauriceville took home the gold with a mark of 57-07.05.
While Zuniga enjoyed the atmosphere, he feels like he benefited from the exposure.
“It was crazy day for being my first day at state; it was definitely a learning experience for me. I was just trying to do the best I can possibly do coming in,” Zuniga said.
Zuniga also competed in the discus throw and set a mark of 157-02, which was good for a fourth-place finish.
While not originally qualifying for the event, Zuniga was selected by the UIL to be the ninth participant in the field.
“I knew I had one of the furthest throws in the state, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to place fourth today; I knew I what I could do,” Zuniga said. “Today made me want to come out and win both events next year, so I’ll start preparing today.”
Also competing in shot put today was San Benito junior John Belmares, who became his program’s first state qualifier in 18 years.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Belmares’ day as he finished ninth overall with a throw of 49-08.7.
“I felt good about making state, but I can’t say I gave it all I got, but that’s just competition,” Belmares said. “It makes me feel good that I made it this far, so I just have to work harder next year.”