DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer
With the District 32-4A track & field meet just a week away, the Port Isabel Lady Tarpons proved this past weekend at the Weslaco Meet of Champions that they may be the team to beat.
Led by strong performances in the 400-meter dash, the 4×400 relay, the 4×200 relay and the pole vault event, the Lady Tarpons finished in fourth place at Bobby Lackey Stadium on Saturday.
In the 400, Natalie Garza won gold with a time of 57.79, which is a season best. Also, Ava Gomez finished in fourth place with a personal best time of 1:00.68.
Garza and Gomez were also part of the 4×400 relay team, which also grabbed gold with a time of 4:04.51. Garza and Gomez were joined by Brisia Gonzalez and Simone Harry.
The Lady Tarps are scheduled to run in Friday’s Albert Tijerina Relays in Raymondville. The District 32-4A meet is set for April 8 and 10 in Grulla.
SOLID SEVENTH: The Harlingen South Hawks may not have been looking to win at this past weekend’s Meet of Champions, but thanks to a solid outing by the team’s field event athletes, the Hawks tied for seventh place along with McAllen Memorial.
Adrian Morales won the high jump event with a leap of 6-04 while Marcus Ramirez took first in the pole vault with a personal best of 15-06.
Meanwhile, Abel Villarreal and Sky Tatum finished second and third in the discus with throws of 156-01 and 147-10, respectively. Teammate Christian Cortez, meanwhile, came in fourth place with a toss of 142-06.
“Our field event guys have been the heart and soul of our team this year, so I’m happy with how we did this past weekend,” said Hawks head coach Ralph De La Rosa.
The bulk of the team will compete this weekend in the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets Relays, however, Villarreal along with shot putters Chase Harrell and Andrew Ott will compete in the Texas Relays in Austin.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: While the San Benito Lady Greyhounds may not have done as well as they would have liked at the Meet of Champions, finishing in 12th place with a score of 16 points, head coach Axel Valle was still pleased with some individual performances.
In the 200-meter dash, Alejandra Bernal won silver with a time of 26.84, and the 4×400 relay team of Bernal, Crystal Ibarra, Desirae Saucedo and Angie Valle finished fourth with a time of 4:08.40.
“I am happy with the athletes who did advance to the finals (on Saturday). It was expected of them,” said Coach Valle. “I just keep trying to encourage the rest of the team to step up to the challenge and compete more intensely so they can contribute to the overall points.
I was a little disappointed that some individuals didn’t advance to the finals in their events, but every meet is a learning experience.”
The Lady ’Hounds will compete at the Raymondville Relays this weekend before next week’s District 32-6A meet, which is set for April 6 and 8 in Weslaco.