The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley men’s throwing group might be small in numbers this outdoor season, but the marks the Vaqueros have been delivering are anything but.
Two Rio Grande Valley natives, La Feria’s Julian Trevino and PSJA High’s Marco Guajardo, have been exceling in the men’s javelin to aid the high-performing event group. The duo, sophomore Michael Campbell and redshirt senior Christian Hall-Gardner all rank among the best throwers in the Western Athletic Conference with the outdoor championships one week away.
First-year UTRGV throws coach Cleopatra Borel, a four-time Olympian and former NCAA shot put champion, said it’s been exciting to guide this hardworking group of student-athletes.
“It’s been a real pleasure to work with them and get to know them and to grow as a team,” Borel said. “We’ve had our challenges, but I’m happy to have a fine group of student-athletes who really stepped up to the plate.”
Trevino and Guajardo have made impressive strides while making the transition from only doing javelin as part of the decathlon to being full-on javelin throwers. They are ranked seventh and 11th, respectively, in the WAC with aspirations of earning a medal at the conference meet May 12-14 in Seattle.
“It’s so fantastic to see former multi kids now trying to score in javelin,” Borel said. “I’m really proud of them. They worked extremely hard this year, and hopefully that will pay off.”
Trevino, a junior, earned All-WAC second team honors in 2019 after placing sixth in javelin. In 2021, he was seventh in javelin and ninth in the decathlon, winning the decathlon javelin throw. Trevino notched a personal record at both meets and believes he’ll make it three in a row.
“Competition is a little stiffer this year, there’s been a lot of big throws out there, so that’s going to raise my competitive spirit,” Trevino said. “I have been dealing with an oblique strain, but I’ve been getting healthier. When I come into this meet, I’m going to feel fresh and healthy, and I feel really, really confident that I can hit a big mark. I’m going for 60 meters.”
This season, Trevino has medaled in three meets, including a first-place finish at the South Texas Showdown. He hit a PR of 54.64 meters — the third-best throw in program history — to finish third at Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Cactus Cup.
The soon-to-be mechanical engineering graduate, who will finish his track career next season while pursing a masters of science in engineering, is described as a very technical athlete. He had no javelin experience prior to UTRGV, and specializing in the event this year has taught him a lot.
“To become more technical and more sound with it, it’s more than just a sport now. It becomes a passion,” Trevino said. “Technique is everything. Arm strength will only get you so far. I learned that my first year. You have to incorporate your legs, and once you start doing that, it’s a whole different game. You’re running at a decent speed, you come to a complete stop, trying to get that leg planted, trying to be stiff with the leg when it’s very easy to want to bend it. That plant is going to take a toll as it compresses your spine, but that’s how you really bolt over and get those big, big throws. It takes a lot of practice.”
Guajardo, a sophomore triple jumper, said it’s a whole different training process working as a thrower instead of a multi. He has three top-five finishes in javelin, including a first-place finish at UTSA’s Roadrunner Invitational, where he hit a PR of 50.51 meters.
“Last year I was a decathlete and I fell in love with javelin,” Guajardo said. “Just being a jumper this year, I didn’t want to leave the event, so I spoke up and asked to still throw jav. Really being a javelin thrower has been so much fun.
“The jumps tie into javelin a lot, using your hips and foot placement and technique. My coach has been really great about using different cues and pulling from other events, and it really brought together my javelin technique.”
Trevino and Guajardo have placed one behind the other in four meets. They challenge and support each other at practice and competitions. Trevino is like a coach, very studious and technical, and Guajardo is energetic and encouraging.
“Being the competitors we are and being from the Valley, we just want to represent UTRGV and the Valley and our hometowns well, and we’re doing that together,” Trevino said. “Going against each other, we grow together. It’s that iron-sharpens-iron mentality.”
Campbell is ranked second in shot put and fourth in discus heading into the conference meet. He has notched four of the top 10 discus throws in program history this season and two in shot put. Hall-Gardner is sixth in the hammer throw, 13th in shot put and 18th in discus.
UTRGV coach Shareese Hicks said the event groups have been battling each other this season, each wanting to be the standout group at a meet. They’ll continue to push and encourage each other at the conference meet and hope to bring home some hardware.
“It’s a growing and building year, but we’re becoming a very successful team as we go,” Guajardo said. “I’m really excited for WAC because I really think a lot of new PRs are coming, and a lot of different events will shine.”
