NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — During midweek practice, La Joya Palmview runner Mariana Hernandez and a teammate joke about her dad and the iPad he brings to every meet to record her sprints and relays.
Hernandez’s father, Rolando, must have great video saved from this season, as Mariana has burst onto the scene as the Valley’s fastest 100- and 200-meter sprinter heading into the Meet of Champions this weekend.
The senior has won gold in the 100 at four meets, setting her personal best mark at the Mission Veterans Patriot relays, finishing in 12.24 seconds.
“I like how he’s involved, and it makes me happy, because I know not everyone has their parents go to every meet,” Mariana Hernandez said. “I know that I’m lucky for him to care so much and actually be excited, go to all my meets and ask about everything. And he’s there, ready with his iPad and everything.”
Rolando raised Mariana and her sister Marissa alone. The single-parent home created some extra responsibility, but also a close support system.
“My sister is older than me, so it was more responsibility for her. She also took care of me,” Mariana said. “Just making sure I was on top of things, how school was going, just like another parent.”
Her schoolwork has remained a priority, and she’s earned a 3.8 GPA, which has her ranked seventh in her graduating class.
“She’s the type of kid that if she has a weekend workout either Sunday or Saturday, she’s going to find a way to do it,” Palmview coach Claudia Bazan said. “She’s going to manage both her academics and what she does out here.”
Entering her junior year, Mariana stopped splitting time with volleyball and dedicated herself to running.
“I felt the difference in energy,” Mariana said. “I put myself more into track, and it helped overall now that my times are faster.”
Bazan, who was obviously pleased with the choice, said she also felt that running is Mariana’s calling.
“This is an individual that this is her sport,” Bazan said.
Because of a deep running roster at Palmview, Mariana did not have the chance to shine individually until her junior season. She was a part of the district championship team in the 400 and 800 relays for the Lobos last year.
“The last three years, she’s been completely committed to the program,” Bazan said. “Last year, we mainly utilized her in the relays, so we really didn’t get to see much of her in the open events. She’s worked hard, and she’s been rewarded so far.”
Mariana’s 100 time of 12.24 is already half a second quicker than last season’s best mark, and her 200 time of 25.54 is seven-tenths better than last season’s top run.
She said she “was only good for the 100” when she was a freshman. Now, she can’t pick which sprint she prefers, so she does both.
Training with cross country helped her improve stamina for the longer race. The early morning summer and fall workouts with Palmview’s powerhouse cross country team are not for the faint of heart, Bazan admits.
“She put in tremendous work in the summer,” Bazan said. “She doesn’t shy away from the cross country workouts. That’s not something you see very often with the sprinters. They rarely like to do any cross work. It’s helped her tremendously, and we’re looking forward to seeing her run (in the Meet of Champions). It should be a good show.”
Damaris Pecina is another member of Palmview’s relay group, and the junior is a prime example of the pride associated with the Lobos sprinters. Hernandez is pushing to surpass the pace set by the graduated Mirna Tamez, while Pecina admits she’s trying to catch Hernandez.
“It feels good to be part of the relays, especially since we’re top in the Valley in the four by one, four by two,” Pecina said. “That just makes me think I have to work harder. This is nothing right now. There’s still a lot of work to do.”
Hernandez also isn’t ready to be satisfied with the work she’s done so far. She hopes to study math after high school, but science has been intriguing lately for the senior.
The remaining track season is another place to make her dad proud every step of the way, because she knows he’ll be watching and the video will be rolling.
“It makes me proud,” Hernandez said. “He tells me every meet and every race and every day. He’s proud of what I have done, and it motivates me to keep doing more to make him proud.”
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