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AUSTIN —Going into this year’s track season, McAllen Memorial’s Ayden Granados and Mission Veterans’ Daniel Alamilla dreamt of going to state together.
The junior distance runners talked often about going to the regional meet and taking the top two spots. One meet prior to the regionals, Alamilla went down with a stress fracture, ending his season.
A part of Alamilla still made it to state despite the injury, gifting Granados his pair of running spikes with the words “State Dream” and his signature etched on the side. Granados punched his ticket to Austin wearing Alamilla’s spikes during the regional meet.
“It hurts deep down to know he wasn’t able to be here with me,” Granados said. “I know in spirit, with the spikes, just knowing he’s here it was something. Now I got to return them with what he gave to me.”
He completed the state dream at the state meet wearing the same red Nike spikes, taking home a pair of silver medals in the 5A boys’ 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs during Day 2 of the UIL’s track and field state championships Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Granados captured his first medal of the day during the morning’s events, clocking in at 9 minutes, 8.91 seconds during the 3,200-meter run for second. Grapevine’s Walker St. John finished in 9:07.78 for first.
The Mustangs’ distance runner followed up his debut performance with another second place, recording a time of 4:11.75 for the silver. Austin McCallum’s Christopher Riley won the event in 4:08.56.
(Special To The Monitor / Photo By Edward A. Ornelas)
“It’s about not giving up and pushing through it,” Granados said. “Just trust your coaches and ask questions. But also make friends with people around you. Just surround yourself with amazing people who can push you to be better. Take them along on for the journey. We have the distance crew in the Valley. I love that group so much. Then we have the Slay the Dragon track club from Dallas. Some of them came down to watch me. There are just so many people I can thank right now for getting me to this special point.”
Granados was one of four Valley athletes to reach the podium during Day 2 of the state meet. La Joya Palmview’s Destiny Quintanilla earned the day’s only other silver medal for the Valley, coming in third during the 5A girls 3,200-meter run.
The senior distance runner wasn’t sure if she’d be running at the state meet after finishing third in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Region IV-5A track and field championships, with only the top two earning automatic bids.
It wasn’t until the bus ride home from regionals that she discovered she was advancing as the UIL’s wild card selection in both events.
Quintanilla set a personal best during the event, finishing in 10 minutes, 49.07. The time tops her previous best of 10:51.93 set during the District 30-5A meet. Cedar Park’s Isabel Conde De Frankenberg won the event, cruising to first in 10:34.13.
She added a sixth-place in the 1,600-meter run during the evening, recording a time of 5:05.15.
“This is a big accomplishment,” Quintanilla said. “I had never made it to state in track, just cross-country. I didn’t know what I would be coming into. I wanted to treat it as every other race. But the reality is there is a lot of excitement and emotion. I’m just very amazed and proud of myself.”
Quintanilla and Granados bring the Valley’s distance running medal count up to four, with La Feria’s Liana Navarro taking the bronze during the 4A girls 3,200-meter run Thursday.
Edinburg North’s San Juanita Leal and PSJA North’s Hector Solis will look to add to the number, both competing in the Class 6A 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs today, while Lasara’s Selissa Gonzales is set to run in the Class 1A 800-meter run.
In the field events, Sharyland Pioneer’s Evan Thompson and Rio Grande City’s Serina Ramirez each brought home bronze medals.
Thompson struggled early, scratching on his first two attempts, but followed with a then-eighth place throw of 27 feet, 10 inches.
Still in eighth after his fourth attempt, Thompson vaulted into second with his best throw of the year, recording a mark of 55-05 on his fifth toss. His position was short-lived, however, dropping to third after Jacksonville’s Aiden Gay recorded a mark of 55-06.75 on his sixth and final attempt.
Thompson finished in third, earning the Valley third medal of the day. Gay came in second, with Manvel’s Alex William’s winning the event with a mark of 56-03.5.
Ramirez picked up hardware in the 5A girls discus throw, coming in 3rd with a mark of 149-10. Ramirez, who was making her second consecutive state meet appearance in the event, improved from last year’s sixth place at state in the same event.
Ramirez also competed in the 5A girls shot put, coming fifth with a throw of 44-07. Laredo Martin’s Melanie Duron defended her state title in the event with a throw of 48-06.25.
Roma’s Allen Perez also competed during Day 2 of the meet, clearing 6-02 in the high jump for ninth.
The final day of the UIL’s state track and field championship begins at 9 a.m. today, featuring athletes from Class 1A and 6A.
