DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — When Edinburg Vela track and field coach Hernan Figueroa met Reagan Olguin two years ago as a sophomore, he saw a gifted runner who refused to push himself.
Olguin ran track, but only by definition. Then a sophomore, Olguin skipped practices. He wouldn’t run hard.
And Figueroa had no idea why.
“When I first got him, I thought he had no idea about what he could really do,” Figueroa said. “As time went by, he started seeing that. The better he got, the more he committed to it.
“It’s difficult to have a kid who does something well, and then to ask him to do it even better at a higher level. And now he doesn’t miss a single practice.”
It’s quite the turnaround. Once, Olguin couldn’t care less. Now, he couldn’t care more.
Olguin qualified for this week’s UIL Class 5A state track and field tournament in the 800-meter run and as a relay member for Vela’s 4×200 and 4×400. Olguin will not compete in the 4×200 to conserve energy for the 800, which he won first place at regionals earlier this month, setting a new meet record with a time of 1:53.12.
Olguin, who has the second-fastest seed time at state in the 800 and is .12 seconds back of first, credits Figueroa for getting him to Austin.
“He’s made me a better person,” Olguin said. “He’s the one who built me up. He got me straight.
“With him, it’s not about running. It’s about character. Me being able to run fast is all good, but he’s just trying to make me a better individual. He’s a great man.”
Olguin only started running the 800 meters halfway through this season, about five meets before regionals. Figueroa had always wanted him to try it.
It took some coaxing for Olguin, but once he started running it, he starred.
“I didn’t think I was going to go out there and do as well as I did, but I do know I had the tools,” Olguin said. “I put in all the hard work. I was confident. I’m stronger than most guys who run as fast as I do.”
Olguin was also part of Vela boys relay teams that dominated at regionals.
The SaberCats were the first Class 5A program from the Valley to win as a team. The 4×200 team consists of Tristan Flores, Olguin (who will not run the event and will be replaced by Michael Arguelles), Gabriel Jackson and Johnny Davila. The 4×400 team consists of Jackson, Isaac Arevalo, Davila and Olguin.
The regional meet was the first time the four runners on each relay had run together. Because of the academic ineligibility of one of the main runners, Arevalo was asked to step in for the 4×400, and in the 4×200 Flores was asked to fill in.
The night before regionals, Vela runners were up late determining who would run which leg. But they never lost confidence.
Figueroa’s coaching is built upon faith. His runners have bought in.
“Coach Fig just makes you do things you never think you can do,” Davila said. “I don’t know if we do things differently than other teams. But I do know we do things right.”
The SaberCats feel they have not peaked. The two weeks between regionals and state have only allowed them to keep getting better.
Earlier in the season, workouts were endurance-oriented to build up the respiratory system. Now they’re more focused on speed.
“We’re looking to make big improvements,” Davila said, “and I think we’re going to surprise people even more.”