By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — The University of Houston was Nora Monie’s dream school.
From the moment she spoke to their track & field coaches, to her conversations with fellow Valley athletes who competed there, Monie elevated the Cougars to the top of her wish list.
So when she received an offer sheet last week by mail, Monie said she “cried a little bit.” On Thursday, she formalized her decision to go there by scrawling her name on the paperwork during a signing ceremony at the Sharyland Pioneer library.
“I feel relieved, very relieved,” she said, “because I’ve been waiting so long for an answer, especially for this school, since it was my top choice.”
Since last season, Monie has been drawing interest from universities. It started when she qualified for state in the shot put and discus. She heard from Sam Houston, UTSA and UTPA, among others, and it was then that she realized she “had potential (to compete) there.”
For her first three years, Monie attended Sharyland High, where she was a multisport athlete. She played volleyball and competed in track & field in each of her four high school years. And this year, at Pioneer, she also took on powerlifting.
“I knew it’d make me stronger for throwing (in the shot put and discus),” Monie said. “And with a new school (like Pioneer), if I could help out anywhere else, I will.”
Within the past two years, Monie has hit her peak athletically, especially with track and field. She was a regional runner-up in the shot put and discus, and a qualifier in the triple jump and 100-meter dash. For volleyball, she was recognized as the district’s offensive MVP. Academically, she’s also in the second quartile of her graduating class.
Among her most proud accomplishments: state champion in the discus at the TAAF Summer Games of Texas, and a discus medalist at the Texas Relays.
At the Steve Stark Meet earlier this year, she broke records in the discus (104-10 1/2) and shot put (45-3 1/2). It was that performance, coupled with her PR in the discus at the Texas Relays, that helped put her over the top with University of Houston associate head coach Will Blackburn.
“I told him what I did there and he said that was great,” Monie said. “After that, he was calling me more and e-mailing me more.”
At Houston, Monie is expected to continue in the discus and shot put, and possibly the hammer throw, giving the program flexibility as a five-event athlete.
“She’s a tremendous athlete. She’s always been a tremendous athlete,” said Pioneer track & field coach Sandra Guerrero, who also coached Monie at Sharyland the previous three years. “She’s grown into a wonderful young lady. Her competitive edge has gotten better over the year with more confidence.
“She’s a fierce competitor and she’s not one to back down. She’s very talented, but also when the pressure’s on, she’s able to come back and not be intimidated. She comes back all fired up.”