PHARR — Saturday was a monumental day for PSJA ISD. The school district, in partnership with the city of Pharr and UTRGV, held a ribbon cutting ceremony in the morning for the grand opening of the Pharr Natatorium.
In the afternoon, PSJA ISD hosted its first event at the new facility, with teams from across the Valley coming to town for the District 31-6A swimming and diving meet.
The day ended with PSJA ISD christening the Pharr Natatorium with a pair of district championships, with the PSJA High Bears boys and girls teams sweeping the team titles.
“I couldn’t be prouder of both the boys and the girls,” PSJA High head coach Pedro Saavedra said. “It’s been a very challenging year because of COVID. … I couldn’t be prouder as a coach of a total team effort. We needed every single point from the fastest guy to the slowest guy. This is a true team championship.”
PSJA High’s girls team finished with 190 points to claim their fifth straight district title, followed by PSJA North and Edinburg High, which finished with 103 and 95 points, respectively.
After graduating several key seniors from a season ago, uncertainty of their fifth title loomed. Still, the Bears didn’t skip a beat, with sophomore Kailey Vera and junior Audrey Treviño stepping up.
“We lost four great seniors from last year,” Saavedra said. “We were able to keep the team together. These girls are a force to be reckoned with in this district. I couldn’t ask for a better team.”
Vera and Treviño were two of the Bears’ top performers, each earning a pair of individual gold medals. Vera finished first in the 100-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly, while Treviño earned gold in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle.
“Coming in here was very intimidating, especially after seeing the heat sheet,” Vera said. “I think I came out very good and had a great meet, though. … Just being here as a part of making history with this team is a great feeling.”
Meanwhile, PSJA High’s boys team claimed the team title with 158 points. PSJA North and Edinburg High finished second and third with 154 and 95 points, respectively.
The Bears secured their first ever district title with a first-place finish in the final event of the evening, winning the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3 minutes, 40.83 seconds.
Elsewhere, the McAllen High Bulldogs boys and girls swept the team titles for a third straight year at the District 31-5A meet Saturday at the McAllen Rowe Natatorium.
The Bulldogs took home the top spot in the girls division with 177 points, with Sharyland High and McAllen Rowe coming in second and third, respectively.
The McAllen High earned 167 points to claim the top spot in the boys division, followed by McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe, respectively.
Sharyland High’s Gabriela Gonzalez had a record setting day at the meet, breaking a pool record during the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 53.49 seconds. Gonzalez finished with a pair of individual district titles at the meet.
Meanwhile, McAllen Memorial’s Dayan Rodriguez Vallejo earned District 31-5A’s athlete of the meet award, claiming his fourth straight individual district title in the 200-yard individual medley, while going back-to-back in the 100-yard breaststroke.
