HARLINGEN — Red and green parkas walking and celebrating together was a common sight at the 2022 Region VIII-6A meet at Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center in Brownsville.
Harlingen High was in red and Harlingen South was in green, of course. The teams share the pool at the Harlingen CISD Aquatic Center and attend club swimming together. Some have been swimming with each other for years.
This year is different for the swimming and diving teams. The pair has been separated by the realignment. The Cardinals are headed west to Laredo for the Region VIII-6A meet today and Saturday at Laredo’s United ISD Aquatic Center.
The Hawks are heading east for the Region VIII-5A meet at the Corpus Christi Natatorium, also today and Saturday.
“It is going to be different,” Harlingen High Daniel Euresti said. “We went to a meet in Laredo, a qualifying meet in December, they went to a meet in Corpus to get ready for our regional meets. It kind of bonded the team more, because we were not so separate.”
It is a unique situation, Euresti said. Athletes from both schools can approach Euresti and Harlingen South head coach Hector Castaneda.
“The kids feel comfortable doing that,” Euresti said.
Harlingen High and Harlingen South had plenty to celebrate in 2022 in Brownsville when a number of athletes finished first or second for spots at state.
The addition of the Northside ISD schools from San Antonio in Region VIII-6A is going to be a challenge for the Cardinals. The Hawks have their work cut out for them with the Corpus Christi schools, McAllen High and Brownsville Veterans Memorial.
Senior Kristopher Cantu is coming in ranked No. 6 in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. Less than one second separates Cantu’s time at district from the No. 2 seed’s time from district.
“We are all really close,” Cantu said. “It is a tossup if I make it to state this year.”
Cardinals senior Griffin Vincent’s dives from district were good enough to see him seeded second at the regional meet. Only three divers make it to state.
Vincent is confident he is going to qualify for state, he said.
Harlingen High senior Davina Gutierrez missed out on state last season and is on the relays with juniors Lauren Uribe, Elise Hernandez and sophomore Giovanna Pierami.
“It is going to be a hard one, but I think I can keep up,” Gutierrez said.
Pierami is seeded No. 6 in the 200 freestyle, and Hernandez comes in at No. 8 today in the 500 freestyle.
It feels like business as usual, Harlingen South sophomore Isaac Oviedo said about the regional meet.
Oviedo made it to state as a freshman in the 500 freestyle, and is currently seeded No. 5 in the 500 freestyle and No. 10 in the 200 freestyle.
Harlingen South’s Frank Pimentel also made it to state in 2022. Pimentel had the fastest time of anybody in the region at district in the 100 backstroke and the second-fastest 200 IM.
“This time around I am hoping to claim a regional title,” Pimentel said. “I was runner-up last year. I want to get top two in both, and at least win one.”
Hawks sophomore Eliana Wainscott is seed No. 2 in the breaststroke but has plenty of competition coming in, with times close to the sophomore.
“I have plans to drop time,” she said. “I think I have it this year. I think this is my year to go to state.”