By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
St. Joseph Academy is taking another strong group of track & field athletes to today’s TAPPS Class 6A South Regional Meet at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio.
The top two finishers in regional competition qualify for next week’s TAPPS state meet in Waco.
SJA has four athletes who went to state last year that are eager for a return. They include Miguel Guerra (200-meter dash, relays), Mario Garcia (previously 400, now running 200 plus relays), Gaby Garza (100 hurdles and 300 hurdles) and Camryn Gloor (pole vault).
Besides the previously mentioned four athletes, additional competitors for SJA who rank first or second in their respective events for regionals include Keaton Cackley (100), Marte Rodriguez (110 hurdles and 300 hurdles plus high jump), Kai Money (long jump), Ricardo Miner (shot put), Pablo Zolezzi (discus) and Leslie de la Llata (discus).
Also, Money, Cackley, Guerra and Garcia are ranked among the top relay teams.
“We’ve got some athletes who are legit,” SJA coach Meme Garza said. “They’ve been at it (competing) since they were freshmen and we have a lot of confidence in them. We’ve been working them hard (in preparation for these final two meets of the season).
“I told them before they left (Wednesday) to be focused on their race, to own their race and to run their race (well),” Garza added. “I know they’re excited about the meet.”
SJA seniors making their final appearances in regional competition and possibly at state include Garcia, Adrian Perez (sprints), Bernie De La Garza (sprints and long jump), Miner (shot put and discus), Miles Fowkes (shot put and discus), Alejandra Segura (sprints and relays), MaJo Del Pozo (sprints and long jump), Ceci De La Garza (sprints and relays) and Carolina Gomez (3,200 run).
SJA athletes have recorded some standout performances in recent weeks leading up to their TAPPS regional and state competitions.
Gaby Garza, a junior, competed at the Texas Relays in Austin earlier this month and set a personal best of 14.27 seconds in the 100 hurdles. She also ran a personal best of 43.54 seconds in the 300 hurdles at the Texas Relays to rank 16th in the state in all high school classes. She ranks 28th in all classes in the 100 hurdles.
Among all Texas juniors, she ranks fourth in the state in the 300 and seventh in the state in the 100.
Money, also a junior, recorded a long jump of 21 feet, 8 inches in late March to place third at the Rio Grande Valley’s Meet of Champions. Also, Money, Cackley, Guerra and Garcia set a school record of 43.33 seconds in the 400 relay at the Raymondville Bearkat Relays earlier this month.
Other teams scheduled to compete at today’s regional meet are San Antonio Central Catholic, San Antonio Antonian, El Paso Cathedral, El Paso Loretto Academy and Incarnate Word High School of San Antonio.