McALLEN — It’s been nearly two months since McAllen Memorial’s Dayan Rodriguez Vallejo has stepped into the pool to compete. Since his last meet Dec. 3, the two-time state qualifier has been sidelined, navigating through the rising COVID-19 cases, while dealing with a broken nose.
Still, Rodriguez Vallejo’s goals have not faltered, eyeing a return to the state meet and stepping onto the podium for the first time.
After 55 days since his last race, the decorated senior is ready to make his return and defend his individual district title, competing in the District 31-5A swim meet beginning today at the McAllen Rowe Natatorium.
“During Christmas break, it was hard because everything was shut down and I broke my nose, so I was out for another two weeks,” Rodriguez Vallejo said. “It’s been almost two months since competing. It’s difficult to navigate through that. I’m going to use this meet as a meet to build my confidence.”
Rodriguez Vallejo’s been preparing for his senior year since the end of last season. During the summer, he kept busy, traveling to central Texas to train and compete with Nitro Swimming, a swim club based near Austin.
Vallejo made the decision following his second straight state meet appearance, hoping to take it to the next level for his final high school season.
“It was a big training block for me,” Rodriguez Vallejo said. “The summer really built up my confidence and showed me I could be up there with the guys from upstate. That was important for me. My mom suggested it my sophomore year but then COVID happened. This year, we decided we could do this. It’s my last year so we just did it.”
The offseason training seems to have paid dividends, with Rodriguez Vallejo setting school records in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke during the Texas Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association South Zone Championships on Dec. 4.
His time of 1 minute, 59.6 seconds in the individual medley ranks No. 8 in Class 5A this season, according to swimcloud.com, while his 57.99 personal best 100-yard breaststroke ranks No. 3.
Rodriguez Vallejo has his eyes set on another pair of milestones during district, hoping to win his fourth straight individual title in the 200-yard individual medley and going back-to-back in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Still, his ultimate goal remains medaling at state.
“That’s what we’ve been training for all summer,” Rodriguez Vallejo said. “Being at state, in the Valley everyone is in last place. For me, the only way to go is up. That’s my mentality going into it.
“It’ll be nice to get the four-peat in the individual medley event and repeat in another one though. That’s the goal for district.”
While Rodriguez Vallejo prepares to compete in the District 31-5A meet this weekend, PSJA Southwest’s Issac Velasquez is gearing up for another crack at the state meet, beginning with the District 32-5A meet Friday at the Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center in Brownsville.
The senior swimmer has dominated the pool since his freshman campaign, advancing to the state meet each season.
Last year, Velasquez competed in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle at the Class 5A state meet, finishing 13th and 14th, respectively.
This season has been a challenge, Velasquez said, dealing with stoppage of training due to COVID-19, like others across the nation.
Still, both Velasquez and his coaches have high hopes for his final year, eyeing a return to the state meet while capturing what has eluded them for three years: a spot at the podium.
“It’s been super tough with the training,” Velasquez said. “It’s definitely the toughest training of all my years. When COVID first struck hard again, it was really hard, not just for me but for everybody else. It was really hard to get into the water.
“I’m just focused on what’s ahead of me and my goals. That’s it. We’re hoping to get to the finals at state in my events and hopefully the finals turns into a medal.”
Fellow PSJA ISD athlete Natalie Bravo has similar hopes as Velasquez. The PSJA High diver earned first place in the 1-meter diving event at the Region VIII-6A meet last year, advancing to state for the first time.
While Bravo is hoping to return to state, her focus remains on this weekend’s District 31-6A meet, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the City of Pharr/University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Natatorium.
“I’m hoping to win district champ again,” Bravo said. “If I do, that would be four years in a row so that’s the plan. That’s the focus right now. I know after district there will be a list with rankings. But anything can happen between now and then. So, I’m just going to focus on my dives and see how it comes out.”
