PHARR — PSJA Southwest’s Issac Velasquez didn’t envision a future in competitive swimming when he first started out. When he was eight years old, it took a promise of a bag of Hot Cheetos and a push into the water from his dad to motivate him.
“My dad is a big part of my swimming life,” Velasquez said. “He’s the one who got me into swimming in the first place. He’s more of a soccer player. He swam back in his day but not competitively. He actually threw me in and paid attention to me. That’s how he got me. Then he bought me my Hot Cheetos.”
Fast forward 10 years and bags of Hot Cheetos turned into gold medals, with Velasquez evolving into one of the Valley’s top swimmers during his four-year career with the Javelinas.
On Monday, Velasquez took another step in his career, signing his national letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career at the UTPB.
“I didn’t think it was a possibility at all,” Velasquez said. “My dad is the one that motivated me and my brothers, as well. That’s what kept me going through my years of swimming. But honestly, I didn’t think it was going to be possible until I met Coach Jon (Landero). He found something in me that I didn’t even know was possible. He told me one day I could do whatever I wanted to do. I stuck through it and we stuck together.”
UTPB is an NCAA Division II program based in Odessa, competing in the Lone Star Conference.
Velasquez joins the Falcons after a decorated four-year career at PSJA Southwest, advancing to the UIL state swimming and diving championships during each season.
He demonstrated his versatility throughout his career, capturing regional titles in the 50-yard freestyle (2021, 2022), 100-yard freestyle (2021, 2022), 100-yard butterfly (2020) and 500-yard freestyle (2019, 2020).
“My freshman year of regionals Coach Jon told me to just swim my race,” Velasquez said. “I swam my race and got first at regionals. That’s when everything clicked. I started to put everything together. Since then, I’ve succeeded thanks to God.”
Velasquez wrapped up his high school career at the UIL Class 5A state swimming and diving championships February, finishing 13th in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle swim.
While racking up the accomplishments in high school, PSJA Southwest head coach Erika Amador said she believes this is only the beginning for Velasquez.
“I feel like this is still just a little piece of what Issac has,” she said. It’s just a little taste of what he’s going to take over there. I know he has way more accomplishments to make. He still has a long road ahead of him. I have a lot of faith in him that he’s going to break barriers as not only a Hispanic athlete from the Rio Grande Valley, but as a PSJA alumni in the collegiate level. I know he has what it takes to do and go wherever he wants to go. I’m super proud of him and what he’s done for the program as well.”
Velasquez plans to major in nursing at UTPB.
“I’m just trying to go to the NCAA Championships and get a medal there. That’s the main goal,” he said.
