EDINBURG — Keyshawn Garcia spent the first three years of his high school track career as a sprinter. When he first arrived at Edinburg North, Garcia primarily competed in the 200- and 400-meter dash.
This season, Garcia elected to take the advice of longtime coach Homer Martinez and make the move to the 800-meter run, a race he had only run four times during his first three years.
The move paid dividends for Garcia, who took the state by storm with a perfect 10-0 record en route to the Class 6A title in the event.
The decision has also secured a future in the sport for Garcia, as he signed his National Letter of Intent to run at the University of Houston next fall during a signing ceremony Thursday at the Edinburg North Gym.
The University of Houston is an NCAA Division I school that competes in the American Athletic Conference.
“The University of Houston reached out to me a couple of weeks ago, and they wanted to fly me out,” Garcia said. “I went for a visit, and I really liked it. Then they offered me a full ride, so I took the scholarship. I feel really blessed for this opportunity. I want to thank God for giving me this opportunity and guiding me through the steps. I’m just grateful to compete at the next level and show them who I really am.”
Garcia split time on the gridiron and on the track during his four years at Edinburg North, also competing on the cross-country team.
On the football field, Garcia was a dominant force from his defensive back position, recording 72 tackles, five tackles for loss and four interceptions during his senior season en route to being named the District 31-6A MVP.
His speed and conditioning in football translated onto the track during his senior season, as he advanced to the Class 6A state track and field championships in the 400 and 800.
“The strength and conditioning got me stronger and bigger, so going into track season all I had to do was cut down a couple of pounds and I knew I’d be good,” Garcia said. “That turnover speed from football, it helped me in all my races this year. Football really helped me in the long run.”
The Houston signee went 6-of-7 in the 400, winning District 31-6A, Area 31/32-6A and Region IV-6A titles en route to a state meet appearance.
His best race, however, was the 800. Garcia went perfect in the event, adding district, area and regional titles in the event, before capping his career at Edinburg North with state gold in the event.
Garcia wasn’t done after the state meet, going to Huntsville, Alabama, this past Friday and competing in the Running Lane National Championships. There, he added a national title, winning the event against competition from across the state with a personal-best time of 1 minute, 49.61 seconds.
The mark sets a new RGV best according to track and field historian Carlos Vela, breaking Port Isabel’s Todd Harbour’s record set in 1977. Harbour’s hand-timed mark of 1:49.46 adjusts to 1:49.64 in fully automated time according to Vela, making Garcia No. 1 all time in the Valley.
“I know the collegiate level is a lot harder than the high school level,” Garcia said. “I’d like to set several records at the collegiate level now and compete against the best. I want to go out there and put my name up there.”
Garcia joins a program led by led by legendary USA track and field athlete Carl Lewis. Lewis, who is entering his 10th year as the program’s head coach, is recognized by many as one of the greatest athletes of all time after winning 10 Olympic medals during his career.
