TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
Last year, former McAllen Rowe volleyball standout Mayda Garcia signed to play at Division I Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut — about 90 minutes northeast of New York City’s skyscrapers and more than 2,000 miles from the friendly confines of McAllen.
“When I did my visit, the girls were amazing and very welcoming,” said Garcia, a freshman, who was spotted by Fairfield when coaches scouted one of her club teammates. “I felt right at home with them, and that was the major thing I was looking for. Especially being so far from home, I wanted to make sure that it was going to be a home away from home.”
And so far, it has suited the 2015 District 30-6A MVP very well. In Fairfield, of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, she joined a reigning conference champion with no seniors that returned 10 letter winners. Could she fit in and get on the court?
Short answer: Yes. The 5-foot-9 outside hitter played in 23 of the Stags’ 34 matches and started eight of them — including a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Michigan State (which Fairfield lost). Garcia’s 41 kills and solid play helped Fairfield go 18-0 in conference play and win a second-straight MAAC title.
“Oh man, my first year was amazing,” said Garcia, who added that she was up for the challenge of joining an established playoff team. “We had made some goals in the beginning of the year, and to achieve some of those goals, like going undefeated in a season and winning the MAAC tournament and making it to the NCAA tournament again, was indescribable.”
Garcia, twice an All-Valley Player of the Year, said even though it wasn’t too long ago, she can look back now and appreciate the great memories she created while playing volleyball in McAllen.
“My favorite would probably have to be playing against McHi or Memorial,” she said. “The rush before the game. And just the environment of those games. I always loved those the most.”
E-E’S MARTINEZ GETS GOOD START AT UTRGV
UTRGV cross country runner Krysta Martinez is hitting her stride. The 5-foot-5 Edcouch-Elsa alum competed in six meets last fall with the Vaqueros, finishing 32nd at the WAC Championships with a time of 19:20.40 and advanced to the NCAA South Central Regional Championships.
There, at the University of Arkansas, Martinez crossed the line at 22:44.7 in the longer 6,000-meter race. She placed 65th out of 144 runners and helped UTRGV claim 10th place among 20 schools, ahead of the likes of Houston, North Texas and UTSA.
A good sign for the upcoming track season is Martinez’s great showing at Texas A&M University earlier this month. The former Yellowjacket posted a fifth-place finish in the mile run with a time of 5:20.46. More than a dozen universities from Texas and Louisiana competed in the meet.
PRAIRIE VIEW HOME FOR DONNA’S MARTINEZ
Former Donna Lady Redskins outside hitter Marina Martinez had to change positions once she decided to play Division I volleyball. The 5-foot-8 former all-state player is now a defensive specialist for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers.
Prairie View, a historically black college located just northwest of Houston in Prairie View, plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with schools like Grambling State, Southern and Texas Southern. About 1,000 of Prairie View’s 8,700 students are not African-American.
Martinez, a sophomore, recorded 101 digs in the 2016 season (1.42 per set), ranking third on the team. She saw action in 27 of Prairie View’s 29 matches and started three times.
RIVERA’S BRISENO NAMED BEST IN CONFERENCE
The Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference named former Brownsville Rivera lineman and current Texas Lutheran University football player Alejandro Briseno a first-team All-SCAC Offense selection.
Briseno, a 6-foot, 260-pound junior guard, is in his second year on the Texas Lutheran varsity, and 2016 was the first in which he was a full-time starter. He began his freshman season in 2015 on the TLU junior varsity team before breaking into varsity and starting three games. TLU, however, was a disappointing 2-8 in the 2016 season.
Also a standout in track, Briseno was the SCAC’s Men’s Field Athlete of the Year for the second straight year last season. He scored 22 points in the 2016 conference meet by winning the shot put (48.47 feet) and hammer throw (138.2 feet) competitions and finishing fifth in the discus.
Know an RGV athlete doing well at the collegiate level in any sport? Send us a tip at [email protected].