SANTA MARIA — Santa Maria cross country and track standout Mia Picazo is continuing her running career close to home.
Really close.
Picazo signed with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley — where she is set to run cross country and the 800-meter run — on Wednesday at Santa Maria High School.
“It is pretty exciting,” Picazo said about the opportunity to be a part of an NCAA Division I track program as well as staying in the Valley to do it. “I think it is going to be a good experience.”
Picazo is a multi-sport athlete for the Class 2A Cougars, but it is cross country and the track where Picazo excels.
Santa Maria girls track and field coach Alicia Perez and boys coach Margarito Jimenez have seen Picazo grow into a state-qualifying cross country athlete and one of the best 800-meter runners in the state in Class 2A.
Picazo finished fourth in the 800 at the Class 2A state meet in 2023. This upcoming track season, Picazo hopes to finish top three and also qualify in the 400. Picazo came in fourth in the 400 at the Region IV meet in 2023.
“She has progressed a lot,” Perez said.
Perez praised Picazo’s parents for helping their daughter succeed — Picazo comes from a family of runners that represented Santa Maria — and Picazo’s dedication to the sport, especially the offseason.
Jimenez and Perez also recognized Picazo’s willingness to be a coach as well with her impact on other Santa Maria athletic and extracurricular programs.
“She is going to put Santa Maria on the map when it comes to track,” Jimenez said. “I hope this brings more athletes to do track this year.”
Picazo plans to study kinesiology while attending UTRGV in the fall of 2024.
The track and field season begins in early February.
