By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — Even though Abraham Rodriguez won the District 30-6A diving meet by a sizeable margin Friday, the McAllen Rowe senior wasn’t fully satisfied.
It was just a year ago that Rodriguez conquered the district mountain for the first time, scoring a 308.40 to edge La Joya High’s Ramiro Alfonso (308.05) by just a fraction of a point. At McAllen Rowe on Friday, he tallied 326.90 points, far surpassing La Joya High’s Vicente Martinez (273.55) and Eddie Barrera (257.85).
“I know I could’ve done better out there,” Rodriguez said. “I just have to work harder next week, and hopefully win at regionals, too.”
Rodriguez was one of six boys divers Friday to qualify for next week’s Region IV-6A meet at the Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center in Brownsville. There, he’ll look to avenge last year’s third-place finish, which caused him to miss state by one spot.
McAllen Memorial’s Patricia Rocha won the girls portion of the event Friday, posting 293.55 points. Teammate Katherine De Leon (253.40) finished second, and McAllen High’s Sarah Killian (168.80) placed third. All three advance to regionals, as well.
Rodriguez hit his stride by the sixth round, scoring a 35.65, 35.20 and 36.80, respectively, amassing 178.20 points to lead Martinez, who was second at the time with 143.40 points.
From there, however, Rodriguez’s marks fluctuated. He peaked at 37.20 and dropped as low as 22.80, as he won district for a second straight year.
“He got up there, soaring in the air, practically. It was gorgeous,” McAllen ISD diving instructor Humberto Patch said. “I know he still thinks he fell short of his own goals, but he had some great dives today.”
It’s that ambitious nature, Patch said, that helped cement Rodriguez’s reputation this year as “the ultimate competitor.” Though he was already an accomplished diver heading into the season, Rodriguez improved his form and heights, and it showed against the district’s best divers Friday.
“He’s willing to go for the harder dives because, for him, it’s not just about going to state,” Patch said. “He wants to show that belongs there, so he’s trying to do the dives that they do up there.”
Rocha, a state qualifier last year, showed the same resolve as she captured her second straight district title. The sophomore diver never trailed Friday, posting two 30-point rounds by the sixth round to pull ahead. Only one other diver (De Leon, 31.90) had a 30-point dive all afternoon.
“I was nervous because it was a district meet,” Rocha said. “But my teammates helped me overcome my fears, and I got confident at the end with their help.”
Though Rocha fell short of her goal of breaking the 300-point mark Friday, she drew plenty of awes from the crowd in the process.
“Some of those dives, I just heard the judges go, ‘Wow, that was gorgeous,’” Patch said. “She looked really consistent.
“When she hit 6s in the middle rounds, I said, ‘Yeah, there we go.’ I knew right then she was going to win.”
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Valley-Swimming results
District 30-6A diving championship
at McAllen Rowe
Boys
1, Abraham Rodriguez, McAllen Rowe, 326.90; 2, Vicente Martinez, La Joya High, 273.55; 3, Eddie Barrera, La Joya High, 257.85; 4, Ethan Plummer, McAllen Memorial, 239.85; 5, Alec Garza, McAllen Memorial, 220.85; 6, Levi De Leon, McAllen High, 205.85; 7, Jesus Moreno, Mission High, 198.15; 8, Ricardo Salas, La Joya High, 194.45; 9, Quintin Lorenz, McAllen Rowe, 186.00.
Girls
1, Patricia Rocha, McAllen Memorial, 293.35; 2, Katherine De Leon, McAllen Memorial, 253.40; 3, Sarah Killian, McAllen High, 168.80.