By FREDDY GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
CORPUS CHRISTI — Plenty of Rio Grande Valley runners left their mark on the UIL Region IV cross country meet Monday in Corpus Christi.
Some took home first-place medals and third-place medals, while others even made school history. For most, the idea of qualifying for the UIL state meet early next month was enough to celebrate.
In Class 6A, Brownsville Rivera’s Andrea de la Rosa proved she was a woman on a mission. The senior runner, who has dominated the local circuits this season, took home the third-place medal with a time of 16 minutes, 52.14 seconds. De la Rosa finished two seconds behind the second-place finisher (Taigen Galvan, 16:50.13) and 12 seconds behind Laredo Nixon’s Alexa Rodriguez, the winner.
For de la Rosa, this is the second time she has finished in third place (first was as a sophomore), and it will be her third consecutive appearance at the state meet.
“I’m feeling a little sentimental because it was my last regional appearance in my high school career, because these past four years have gone by really fast,” de la Rosa said. “It feels great when your name is called (on the podium), and it feels like an accomplishment.
“I feel both nervous and great about qualifying for the state meet because it’s my last year and I’m just going to try my best.”
Among teams, the Weslaco High Lady Panthers finished in the top spot with 82 points. Destinee Longoria placed seventh, Amity Ebarb took ninth, and Samantha Cienfuegos was 27th place to secure the first-place finish. The Lady Panthers finished ahead of second-place Spring Branch Smithson Valley (103 points) and third-place Austin Westlake (115).
In Class 5A, the Edcouch Elsa Lady Yellowjackets made history by becoming the first cross country team to make the state meet. The Lady Yellowjackets finished third place with 95 points, behind Boerne (first place, 45 points) and Dripping Springs (second, 83).
“The coaching staff is extremely proud of them,” E-E coach Juan Aguinaga said. “They put it together at the right time, ran aggressively and really wanted to make history.”
Vanessa Cerda finished in seventh place, Kennedy Villalpando placed 12th, Natali Mireles took 17th and Haley Villalpando was 19th to secure the third spot for Edcouch Elsa. On the boys side, Albino Rodriguez (10th), Dominik Medrano (11th), and Kristian Martinez (15th) all secured spots in the state meet as well.
Mercedes also will be sending three runners to the state meet. On the boys side, Lupe Reyes finished ninth and Julian Fuentes placed 14th, and on the girls side Soledad Cruz took fifth place.
In Class 4A, La Feria’s Dariana Vasquez continued to dominate. After finishing first at district, the junior followed it up by finishing first in the regional meet. Vasquez finished with a time of 10:59.59, just ahead of second place Jaci McGregor and third-place Emma Stauber. Last season, the junior finished third in the district and regional meets.
“After crossing the finish line (looking at the clock next to it, and watching my friends cross one by one), I was overwhelmed with accomplishment,” Vasquez said. “I thought of all the time we have put into this passion of ours and finally knowing we had something to show for it. Being rewarded made everything worthwhile.”
The Lionettes also were rewarded for a strong showing, finishing second with 132 points in the team results.
The La Feria boys team also qualified for state with a fourth-place finish.
Also on the boys side, the Progreso Red Ants dominated, earning a first-place finish with 61 points. Jonathan Vega finished third, Gerardo Gallardo placed eighth, and Hector Perales (13th), Alex Pecina (19th), Greg Rangel (33rd) and Samuel Cerda (44th) helped secure the top spot for the Red Ants.
In Class 3A, Brownsville IDEA Frontier finished third to secure a spot at state for the second consecutive year. Frontier finished with 189 points, just behind second-place San Antonio Cole (133) and first-place Lytle (92).
“Conditions were perfect for running,” Frontier coach Albert Alaniz said. “The course was a bit muddy but the weather held up and our kids ran well. Our goal was to always make it back to state, but I don’t believe it’s become a tradition just yet. Each year it gets tougher and tougher for us to advance, and this year was no different.
“We just squeezed in there by a margin of two points. All of our kids marked their best times of the year, and that is exactly what it took to get back to Round Rock.”
Lyford’s Dulce Rodriguez finished eighth to secure her spot in the state meet. The senior posted a time of 11:38.78 to be able to head to Round Rock next month.
And in Class 2A, another well-known name will be making her trip to the state meet. La Villa’s Robbie Sue Espericueta finished third for the second consecutive year with a time of 11:36.96. It was a personal best for the senior.
“She had a good race,” La Villa coach Joseph Garcia said. “We said we were not going to worry about the time and just focus on qualifying for state, which she did, and in doing so she ran her personal best time.”