By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Maria Avila is ready to take her track & field career to the next level.
After much weighing her options during the course of the summer, the Pace senior finally made her choice.
Avila made her decision to compete for the University of Texas A&M-Kingsville official during a signing ceremony Thursday at Pace.
“I think the best choice for me and for my family is Texas A&M-Kingsville,” she said. “I really liked the school, and I’m going to be doing multiple events. I’m going to do everything.”
Avila was the District 32-5A champion in both the high jump and the 100-meter hurdles and advanced to the Region IV-5A meet in San Antonio in each event.
She also competed in the 300 hurdles for the Lady Vikings and will compete in all three events for the Javelinas.
The high jump has always been her top event, but she has become more confident with the hurdles during the past two years, knocking three seconds off her 100 hurdles time this season, Pace coach Sergio Sandoval said.
But she’s been improving in all three events during the past three years.
“She was kind of shy as a freshman,” Sandoval said. “But she came out and impressed all of us as a sophomore, so she was (on) varsity right away. She went to regionals all three years. Her junior year she got third place by a half an inch or so, just missed a chance at state in high jump.”
Avila liked the close proximity to home and will join a familiar face on the Javelinas’ squad, former Pace teammate Yesenia Ruiz.
“The school is really nice, and it’s close to Brownsville,” she said. “Everyone was nice, it felt like a comfortable place.”
With her entry into school late, Avila won’t receive any financial aid via scholarships from the university during her freshman season. But she will receive both types of awards during her sophomore year.
Regardless, she is anxious to get started with her new teammates.
“They had a really good program for practice, the coaches know what they’re doing,” she said. “They have a really strong team and I felt very comfortable with them.”
Sandoval felt Kingsville was the right choice for Avila.
“I think that Kingsville is a great place for her,” he said. “She’ll be comfortable, and she can visit family when she can.
“It’s a good challenge for her, and I know she has already been practicing her events this summer.”
The Lady Vikings’ coach knows that the best is to come for Avila.
“I know she’s going to do great. She’s all about track, it’s her passion,” Sandoval said. “She doesn’t get distracted by other things. I think she’ll improve even more with strength and conditioning. With the right coaching over there and workouts in college, she’s going to improve, it should be a good experience for her.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.