EDINBURG — Edinburg Economedes distance runner Dianett Garcia had no intention to run cross-country in high school. Jaguars head coach Brenda Lozano had different plans, telling the then-freshman Garcia she’d be running on her cross-country team.
Without question, Garcia showed up to practice and made an immediate impression on her head coach, keeping pace with the varsity team despite no competitive running experience.
Garcia was only able to run in the freshman division due to joining the program late in the season. Still, she left her mark, finishing first in the District 31-6A freshman meet.
Three years later, Garcia has evolved into one of the Valley’s top runners, signing her national letter of intent Friday at the Edinburg Economedes library, committing to continue her academic and running career at Incarnate Word, a Division I school that competes in the Southland Conference.
“I never thought I would be here doing this today in front of so many people,” Garcia said. “I was kind of shaking because it made me nervous. But it’s exciting going into a whole new lifestyle and meeting a bunch of new people.”
Garcia joins the Cardinals after a decorated three-year cross-country career with the Jaguars, qualifying for the regional meet during each of her three seasons, while advancing to the Class 6A state meet as a junior and senior.
The senior doubles as a track and field athlete for the Jaguars, advancing to the Region IV-6A meet in the 400- and 800-meter dash last year.
While she left her head coach impressed during cross-country practice, it was during Garcia’s freshman track season that Lozano realized her potential.
“This girl (Garcia) was smiling and laughing all the time. Nobody really does that when they’re running two miles,” Lozano said. “When track season came around, her dedication and commitment changed. When she didn’t get what she wanted she was so disappointed. That’s when I knew she wanted this and was going to go Division I.”
Still, Garcia credits her head coach for the success during her running career, saying, “She can get anybody off the side of the road and build them into a better athlete.”
“I think my signing today has a lot to do with her (Lozano),” Garcia said. “She pushed me on days I didn’t want to wake up anymore. She was able to motivate not only myself but the team. I was not a runner before. I technically had no experience in running. She just built me into this runner. She just taught me so much.”
Garcia is the second Valley girls cross-country runner to sign to run at UIW this year, joining Sharyland High’s Danielle Salinas.
Garcia intends to major in business administration, with plans to pursue real estate.
