BROWNSVILLE — The Brownsville St. Joseph track & field team will be headed to the regional track meet this week in Waco with the goal of reaching state.
St. Joseph heads to Waco as the TAPPS 5A District 5 boys and girls champions. The girls won with 256 points, and the boys won with 210 points.
“The kids’ hard work paid off,” St. Joseph track & field coach Teddy Lopez said. “I try and tell them, if they can get it in their head at practice that it means something, at the meet they should be able to perform like they did at their best practice. That is the hope, the goal, and they were able to execute that.”
Going into the regional meet, both teams will have a solid number of athletes representing the school. Pedro Cardenas qualified for the state meet last year and will compete in the 800-meter run, and team up with the Lucas Cristiano, Anuar Jobi and Jorge Albores in the 1,600 relay.
Moises Tejeida will compete in five events at the regional meet: the hurdle events, shot put, discus and 800 relay with Francisco De La Garza, Jose Tijerina and Cristiano. Alejandro Ramirez. Mauricio Gonzalez qualified in the 3,200-meter run, and Ramirez is the district champion in the event.
Tijerina also will compete in the 100, De La Garza in the long jump and Julian Gomez will throw at the regional meet. Gomez is the district’s discus champion.
Elise Esparza also will compete in five events: the long jump, high jump, 200 and both of the sprint relays.
“She can do everything and has been doing everything,” Lopez said. “It has been nice to have her for four years. And being able to count on her as well as Ale and Lucia Gonzalez, the three of them have been the staple of our sprints, relays and jumps the past four years.”
The girls have multiple athletes in the top four in the region going into the meet. Alondra Loya and Andrea Jasso have a good shot at qualifying for state in the discus.
The 400 team of Esparza, Vivian Wood, Ale Gonzalez and Lucia Gonzalez won district and has the fourth fastest time in the region.
Wood is switched with Amanda Hinojos in the 800 relay, which also won district and has the fourth fastest time going into the meet. Esparza has the fourth-best high jump in the region.
St. Joseph still has plenty of other girls competing. Lucia Garza qualified in the 100, Hinojos will run the 800, Wood qualified for the triple jump, Valeria Bazan is running the 1,600 and 3,200, and Mildred Verlage will compete in the shot put.
The team will compete Thursday at the City of Waco’s Hart Patterson Track.
