BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — At some point Saturday, Caitlin Alaniz could deal with a reoccurring hindrance.
The Weslaco East senior sprinter will participate in the girls 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the District 31-6A track meet at Bobby Lackey Stadium. Alaniz is fast and has the numbers to prove it – she ranks in the Valley’s Best in both events.
Alaniz will tell you of her quickness, endurance and desire to win. She’ll also tell you about her biggest weakness and its minute impact on her success.
“I’m not that great of getting out of the blocks,” Alaniz said. “It’s difficult to pop out quick. I’m usually at the end of the back. They call me a back-end runner.”
The 17-year-old blames her poor starts on her lengthy build as well as an improper technique learned in middle school which her muscle memory won’t let her forget. What Alaniz won’t do is allow her early miscues be an excuse.
“I can stay at full speed for a long time,” she said. “It just takes me a while to get there. It’s pretty scary in the 100. You never see me lead at the beginning. But, near the end, I make my move and I just book it.”
The Lady Wildcats need Alaniz to do plenty of booking this week during district competition. The core of the varsity team is composed of just seven girls, with Alaniz the only senior to compete exclusively in track. But Weslaco East has picked a good time to rely on her, as she is coming off a record-breaking performance earlier this month at the Harlingen relays.
In both the 100 and 400-meter dashes, Alaniz set school records with a mark of 12.18 and 1:01.58, respectively. Alaniz also holds the school mark in the 200 with a time of 25.67.
“She’s a late bloomer,” coach Josh Davis said. “She didn’t really stand out in middle school track at all. When I told her middle school coach about her success the past few years, he went, ‘Caitlin who?’”
Alaniz’s development from welcomed surprise to record holder began last year at the Knights of Columbus Relays in Mercedes. Once relegated to relay duty, Alaniz was placed in the 100 due to injuries elsewhere on the team. She had never competed in the event, but that didn’t stop her from breaking the school record twice – once in the prelims and again during the finals.
“I didn’t even know (the records) existed,” Alaniz said. “Coach didn’t tell me I broke a school record until the finals. He had this big piece of paper that said, ‘WEHS School Records.’ He told me I had set a new record and that I had to go out there and do it again in the finals, which I did.”
Alaniz repeated her back-to-back record breaking performance again in the 200, her preferred race. With each ensuing race, Alaniz is pushing the pace for her team and herself.
“Her commitment and her dedication has got her to this point,” Davis said. “She does whatever it takes and does whatever is asked. She knows what’s expected of her.”