McALLEN — The McAllen Memorial Mustangs entered the 2021 cross country season with high expectations, returning nearly all seven runners from the 2020 season.
Among those returners were junior Ayden Granados and senior Sebastian Salinas, both of whom qualified for the Region IV-5A meet last year.
Granados and Salinas built off last season’s success, ranking No. 4 and No. 7 in Region IV going into the regional meet, respectively.
Granados set a personal record time of 15 minutes, 44.1 seconds at the Texas A&M High School Invitational on Sept. 25, the fourth-fastest time in the region, while Salinas recorded a personal best 15:56.0 at the FEAST Patriot 19th Annual Invitational, the seventh-best mark.
Led by Granados and Salinas, the Mustangs captured their first district title since 2018, with Granados running away with the individual crown, while Salinas took silver.
The duo prepares to lead the Mustangs into the Region IV meet Monday at Dugan Track and Soccer Stadium in Corpus Christi, with their eyes set on a regional title and a spot at the state meet.
“We just want to be the best,” Granados said. “We want to put out there that McAllen Memorial has something and the Valley in general has a place among the best and taken heavily.
“Individually, I want to win. For the team, we want to get out of regionals. That’s been our goal. To get out and get to state.”
While Granados and Salinas highlight the team, the Mustangs are anchored by a group of experienced runners, including seniors Raul Rojas and Trey Veale.
Rojas is a four-year letterwinner for the Mustangs, making his third regional appearance of his career, while Veale, a three-year letterwinner, makes his return to the regional meet after qualifying during the 2019 season.
Junior Diego De Leon, Caleb Guerra and Caleb Navarro round out the Mustangs’ seven-man squad, with De Leon returning to regionals after making an appearance as a freshman, while Guerra and Navarro make their regional debuts.
Led by a core group of seniors, the Mustangs are primed for a big performance at the regional meet, with goals of getting on the podium, McAllen Memorial head coach Jesse Trejo said.
“These kids have been with us for a long time,” Trejo said. “The impact and leadership, especially from our seniors, that’s valuable. The kids follow those seniors.
“We got fourth three years ago, but we want to get them to state now and show their hard work.”
The Region IV cross country meet kicks off with Class 6A at 8 a.m. Monday at the Dugan Track and Soccer Stadium in Corpus Christi.