By Peter Rasmussen | Staff Writer
The two days Lizette Chapa spent on a recruiting trip earlier this month in College Station only reinforced her dream to attend Texas A&M.
On Wednesday, Chapa, a Sharyland Pioneer senior, signed her National Letter of Intent to compete for the Aggies in cross country and track and field.
“It had always been a goal,” Chapa said. “After I spent a couple of days up there, it just made me fall in love with it all over again. It came down to where I was going to able to run. I was welcomed with open arms there. It was definitely a yes.”
Chapa was also looking at UTSA, UTPA, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas and Texas Tech. Chapa said A&M stood out.
“They are national champions in track,” Chapa said of the Aggies. “Their cross country team is amazing, too. You definitely want to be a part of something big, something amazing.”
Chapa began running when we has in the sixth grade competing at her elementary school’s track. While attending John H. Shary elementary, runners were given 15 minutes to run as many laps around the track as they can. Every 25 laps, the student would receive a chain.
“It made me fall in love with it, something as simple as that,” Chapa said.
This past season was Chapa’s best. The Lady Diamondbacks runner finished second at the District 31-5A meet, fifth at regionals and 29th at state. She last competed at the state meet in 2012 when the Sharyland High girls cross country team advanced as a team (Sharyland Pioneer opened this year). In that race, Chapa finished 85th.
Even with her final season of high school track still to go, signing her NLI on Wednesday was a signal that her prep career is nearing an end.
“It is definitely sad that what has been a part of me for so long is coming to an end, but is also the beginning of, hopefully, bigger and better things for me,” Chapa said. “It’s sad but exciting at the same time.”