BY NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — The fates of McAllen High powerlifters Daniela Echavarria and Sabrina Espinoza are intertwined. When they entered high school as freshmen, they didn’t join the powerlifting team right away. By their senior season, however, they were wearing gold and silver at the state meet.
On Friday, they both signed to in-state colleges to continue lifting and to expand their education.
Espinoza signed with UTSA in the morning, while Echavarria inked her letter to the University of Texas in the afternoon.
Even though both ended their high school careers and prepared for the next step on the same day, both paths were vastly different.
Espinoza grew up around the sport that is now sweeping the state and RGV, filling gyms on Saturday mornings with hundreds of determined lifters.
She was driven, trained and pushed thanks to her father. For her, the sport was a chance to bond and share time together.
“My dad has been powerlifting since he was younger, so basically I grew up in the gym with him. I wouldn’t work out, of course. I just figured I should give it a try and apparently I wasn’t bad at it,” Espinoza said. “It was something me and my dad had in common, something we could both do together. I don’t like basketball; I don’t like anything else he watches except powerlifting.”
Echavarria, on the other hand, went through middle school and early high school determined to be a runner, a track standout.
She continued to run, earning district championships even as a senior, but the weight room became a passion.
“I was really hesitant to join powerlifting just because I felt like there was this belief that you had to be bulky or super strong to join and I didn’t feel I was that way,” Echavarria said. “I love track, but I found my true passion in powerlifting.”
Since the competition is divided by weight class, being tall or wide isn’t a requirement. One just needs to be better than the field. Echavarria stood tall at season’s end as the 105-pound THSWPA state champion.
“I never expected to be here, but I guess this past year is when I realized I had a chance to compete at the state level. So that pushed me to want to compete even further,” Echavarria said. “When I won state, it really made me realize that I really had an opportunity to continue in college.”
Since the sport isn’t governed by the UIL in high school or the NCAA in college, recruitment is interesting. Echavarria said the Longhorns were in attendance at state, and that’s when she made contact. Espinoza knew someone who was already on the team who helped make the connection.
“Powerlifting has always been a strong suit down here in the Valley. We’re actually one of the strongest regions in the state,” McAllen High coach Dan Rodriguez said. “These girls really get in the weight room and push some weight around and they enjoy doing it. They’re leaving a long-lasting legacy.”
The deadlifting duo will attend school just an hour and a half away from each other, and compete in the same sport at the same weight class. So, chances are the state high school meet won’t be the last time they share the competition floor.
“I think it is really exciting. She’s a really strong competitor, and having her there pushes me all the time,” Echavarria said. “She’s also one of my really close friends, so to be able to do this on the same day is really, really exciting.