MISSION — When Ammy Garcia decided to attend North Mission IDEA as a sixth grader, academics was the reason.
Garcia didn’t envision sports would open the door for her collegiately. That is until she met North Mission IDEA track and field head coach David Irizarry.
“I was pushed by Irizarry to become better not just academically, but with athletics,” Garcia said. “So, it just made me stick here. It was where I got the most support and I knew I wasn’t going to get it anywhere else.”
With the help of her coach, Garcia has left her mark on the Warriors’ track and field program, advancing to the Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League’s state meet as a freshman, while earning three straight district titles in the 400-meter dash.
The decorated senior added to her legacy Wednesday, signing a national letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career at Boston University, a NCAA Division I school that competes in the Patriot League.
“I am excited, yet nervous,” Garcia said. “Mostly, I’m excited to see what happens in these next four years of my life, both academically and athletically. I want to see improvement in myself. That’s what makes me the most excited.”
Garcia is a part of North Mission IDEA’s inaugural class set to graduate at the end of this school year.
Her signing marks the first North Mission IDEA athlete to sign a national letter of intent to continue competing at the collegiate level.
“Honestly, it hasn’t hit me yet,” Irizarry said. “This has always been the expectation. I know I’m going to bawl like a little baby when she crosses that stage. I don’t think our whole entire program would be as successful as it is if it wasn’t for this young lady. She’s always committed. She’s always dedicated. When you first start a campus, if you don’t get the buy in from the athletes, you don’t have anything. With her dedication and her commitment, the rest of the program followed suit.”
Garcia began running competitively as a sixth grader at North Mission. It wasn’t until the following year that she began to take the sport seriously, she said.
During Garcia’s freshman season he saw her potential to run at the next level, Irizarry said.
“Her freshman year at Meet of Champs in La Feria, when she broke 60 in the 400, I knew she definitely had a shot,” Irizarry said. “She’s just stuck with it. COVID has been challenging the past couple of years. … With her commitment and her drive and the will for her to want to be better, that’s something you can’t teach.”
Since then, Garcia has racked up the accolades. As a sophomore, she set personal records in the 400- and 800-meter runs. Her time of 1 minute, 3.24 seconds ranked No. 3 in the TSCAAL in the 400 according to athletic.net, while her 2:33.78 in the 800 ranked No. 4 before the season ended prematurely due to the league’s decision to cancel spring sports amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, North Mission IDEA made the move to the University Interscholastic League. Still, the then-junior continued her dominance, earning a pair of individual district titles in the 400- and 800-meter runs at the District 31-3A meet, while advancing to the Region IV-3A meet in both events.
Garcia said she hopes her career serves as an example for future North Mission students to follow in her footsteps.
Before the year is over, Garcia hopes to add more hardware.
“It’s just about winning state,” Garcia said. “It’s about making it to state and being the best in the Valley.”
