BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — PSJA Memorial senior Cruz Gomez is back in the Valley after running around the state and the country dating back to the middle of November.
Gomez wrapped up four consecutive weekends of cross country meets Saturday at the 40th annual Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships in San Diego. His first three meets took place six hours north of the Valley in The Woodlands, then a 20-hour drive to Charlotte, N.C., and finally a plane trip to the Pacific Northwest at the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland.
“It’s been tough traveling week after week after week, but I had a lot of fun,” Gomez said. “I met and faced so many great runners all over the country. There are a lot of people working just as hard as me. It was a lot of fun, but also tiring.”
Gomez touched down in Texas on Sunday before officially signing his official letter of intent Monday to run at the University of Texas.
“God graced him with a lot of talent, but at the same time, he had the work ethic and the grades behind him. I didn’t have to worry about him,” PSJA Memorial cross country and track coach Lee Roy Perez said. “In 40 years of coaching, I’ve had good athletes come through who were talented, but they’ve maybe lacked one or two things. With Cruz, he’s the total package. He does what he needs to do in the classroom and then we can turn him loose on the course or on the track. He’s a winner.”
Gomez is one of the more decorated runners in Valley history. In four years of cross country, he has won 13 UIL-sanctioned events and qualified for the UIL state meet each time. In three years of track, Gomez won 19 individual races and competed at the state level all three times. He placed second in the 800- and 1600-meter races at the state meet in Austin back in May.
During his signing ceremony, Perez referred to Gomez as the greatest athlete in the 21-year history of PSJA Memorial.
“I don’t even know how to react to that,” Gomez said. “I came to this school. I could have gone to (PSJA High) Bears, (PSJA) Southwest or PSJA North, but I’m here with the Wolverines. I’m proud to be a Wolverine. I did it all for my friends, my family, the coaches and for the city. I take a lot of pride in Alamo and the whole RGV.”
Gomez will join the men’s team at Texas, which already has former Brownsville Veterans thrower Andres Bodden and former Rio Grande City runner Brandon Gracia on the roster.
“He’s going to bring a lot of stability and unity because he knows several of those athletes up there already,” Perez said. “When he made the visit, those kids were looking forward to having him come and contribute to the team.”
Gomez is ecstatic about his career continuing at the next level. In the meantime, he will enjoy a break before the track season starts.
“I’m glad I was able to share this moment with people that mean a lot to me,” Gomez said. “It was amazing.”