By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
St. Joseph Academy is enjoying one of its best swimming seasons.
The Bloodhounds are holding their own at meets against the Rio Grande Valley’s bigger public schools while preparing for TAPPS regional and state competition during the coming weeks.
“We have very good swimmers, and they’re very dedicated,” SJA coach Jerry Garza said. “They’ve been practicing every day, sometimes twice.
“Our swimmers have been pushing it,” he added. “Some of them are freshmen and sophomores. They’re trying their hardest, and they keep getting faster. Little by little their times are dropping, some of them even by 2 seconds (from their previous competition), so they’ve been doing very well.”
Swimmers for the Bloodhounds’ boys team include Adrian Fierro, Luis Davila, Cesar Vega, Esteban Gonzalez and Jorge Lee. For the SJA girls, the swimmers include Jessie Hainley, Diana Fierro, Sofia Douglas, Miren Aponte and Paulina Varela.
Adrian Fierro has set school records multiple times this season. The records have come in the 50 and 100 freestyles. Davila has set a school record in the 200 freestyle.
Hainley, Douglas, Aponte and Diana Fierro are close to setting a school record in the 200 freestyle relay, Garza said.
The SJA coach said it helps his swimmers to go against top competitors from South Texas at meets in the Valley.
“Since we’re in TAPPS, we aren’t in a district with schools here in the Valley, and our main competition is from San Antonio and Austin,” Garza said. “It’s a good experience for us to see what the (public) schools have here. Participating against UIL schools in these (Valley) meets allows our swimmers to really compete at a high level and see where they stand.”
The SJA swimmers are preparing for a TAPPS regional meet Jan. 29 in San Antonio. The TAPPS state meet is scheduled Feb. 12, also in San Antonio.
EYES ON A RETURN TO STATE: Of the five Metro-area athletes who made it to the UIL swimming & diving state meet in Austin last year, four of them have a chance to return in 2016.
The swimmers who went to state last year, each in two events, were Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Jonathan Ashford (100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke), Los Fresnos’ Ivana Besteiro (50 and 100 freestyles) and Hanna’s Maya Athena Imperial (200 individual medley and 500 freestyle).
Local divers advancing to state last year were Lopez’s Thadey Diaz and Hanna’s Raul Garcia.
Only Garcia has graduated, and the others are hoping to do well again at upcoming district and regional competitions in an effort to make it back to state, which is scheduled Feb. 19 and 20 in Austin.
UPCOMING: Friday and Saturday, Pre-District meet, Harlingen Aquatic Center; Jan. 21 and 22, District 32-5A meet, Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center in Brownsville; Jan. 29 and 30, District 32-6A meet, Harlingen Aquatic Center; Feb. 5 and 6, Region VIII-6A meet, Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center; Feb. 5 and 6, Region VIII-5A meet, Corpus Christi CISD Natatorium.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess