Just three meets remain in the 2024 UIL track and field season, with athletes across the RGV competing for regional meet berths during this week’s area meets.
Wednesday’s action featured several Valley athletes punching their ticket to next week’s regional meet during the 31/32-5A and 6A meet taking place at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen and PSJA Stadium in Pharr.
Here is a look at some of the top performers from the day’s action.
Jyazian Moore, Harlingen High
Moore has made quite a splash during his freshman campaign. Last week the Cardinals jumper captured his first district title, winning the 32-6A long jump while also adding a silver medal in the high jump.
He continued his breakout campaign Wednesday, tying for first in the high jump with Weslaco High’s Michael Vela, while adding a silver medal in the long jump.
Now the first-year jumper is headed to the regional meet with sights set on a state berth in Year 1. Moore enters next week’s Region IV-6A championships with a good shot at making a state meet appearance a reality as a freshman, tied for first in the region in the high jump with a personal best mark of 6-04 this year.
His personal best jump of 22-07.75 in the long jump also ranks in the top 10 among all athletes in Region IV-6A according to Athletic.net.
Alexis Rodriguez, Edinburg North
Rodriguez secured back-to-back area championships Wednesday, winning the 3,200-meter run with relative ease. The Lamar University signee clocked in at 9 minutes, 44.23 seconds during the win, roughly 15 seconds faster than the next competitor.
The win guarantees Rodriguez at least one more race in his senior year, looking to make it two with a top four finish during tomorrow’s 1,600-meter run. He finished as area champs in both events last season.
Rodriguez also has his sights set on his first career state meet berth during next week’s regional meet, last year just missing out on a berth with a third-place finish in the 3,200-meter run. Only the top two finishers from each event at regionals advance to state.
San Juanita Leal, Edinburg North
Leal’s senior year has been a victory lap, cruising past the area competition anytime she steps onto the track. Wednesday’s 3,200-meter run was no different, winning her third straight area championship with a time of 10:35.40.
Leal, a Texas A&M signee, clocked in over a minute and a half faster than the next competitor.
The Cougars distance runner looks primed for another state title run, capturing gold in both the Class 6A 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs last season.
She enters next week’s regional championships as a heavy favorite to defend her titles in both events and secure a third straight state meet appearance.
Jazmine Thompson, Harlingen High
Thompson’s final high school meet in the RGV came on her home turf, getting to throw at Boggus Stadium one last time.
The Cardinals thrower went out on top just like she has most of her career at Harlingen High, securing her third straight discus and shot put area titles at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.
Thompson, a Wake Forest signee, picked up comfortable victories in both events, winning the shot put by nearly seven feet and the discus by nearly 20 feet.
She picked up the gold in the shot put with a mark of 42-04, adding a gold in the discus with a throw of 145-03.
Now Thompson turns her attention to the back end of her high school career, competing in both events during next week’s regional meet, hoping to punch her ticket to state for a third time with top two finishes in both.
Kimora Fagan, Edinburg High
Fagan spent the afternoon running back and forth between the long jump and high jump during the Area 31/32-6A meet at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen.
That didn’t stop the Bobcats athlete from shining in both events, earning a pair of regional berths by the end of the day.
Fagan secured her first regional spot during the high jump, punching her ticket with a mark of 4-10. She followed it up by capturing the gold on her final attempt of the afternoon during the long jump, with a mark of 17-03.
The jump vaulted her past Edinburg North’s Melissa Kotzur, who came in second with a mark of 17-02.5.
Fagan will look to add two more regional berths during tomorrow’s running events, set to compete in the 100-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash.
Melissa Kotzur, Edinburg North
Kotzur entered Wednesday’s area meet as the District 32-6A champ in both the long jump and triple jump.
She carried that momentum into today’s competition, earning podium finishes in both events to secure a spot at next week’s regional meet.
Kotzur sat atop the long jump standings for most of the day before being passed on the last jump by Edinburg High’s Kimora Fagan. Still, the Cougars jumper finished second to advance to regionals.
She left nothing to chance during the triple jump, taking the lead on her third attempt and never looking back en route to the area title. She saved her best jump for last, recording a mark of 35-03.5 to seal the win.
Ronnie Ramirez, Edinburg Vela
Ramirez just missed out on making it to regionals in two events during last year’s area meet, qualifying in the discus but finishing on the outside in the shot put.
This year he’ll compete in both events at the Region IV-5A championships, finishing in the top four in both competitions on Wednesday.
Ramirez snuck his way into regionals in the shot put, recording a mark just two feet further than fifth place to earn the fourth and final spot with a throw of 52-05.25.
His forte is the discus, however, an event he qualified for regionals in as a sophomore. He improved on last year’s runner-up finish in the event with a gold-medal performance this season, winning the area title with a mark of 158-05.
Jediah Rivens, Weslaco East
Rivens hasn’t gotten much action this season, with his season really kicking off during last week’s district meet.
The senior jumper hasn’t been phased, however, winning the district title last week, followed by an Area 31/32-5A championship this week.
The 6-foot-1 athlete, who also competes in football and basketball for the Wildcats, was a head above the competition during Wednesday’s action, with no other jumper clearing the six feet mark during the area meet.
His final jump of 6-03 vaulted him into the top five in the Region IV-5A heading into next week’s regional meet according to Athletic.net.
Angel Rodriguez, Sharyland Pioneer
Rodriguez did what he has done all season long in the long jump for the Diamondbacks during Wednesday’s area meet, adding to his extensive gold medal collection during his sophomore season.
After scratching on his first two attempts, Pioneer’s jumper did the bare minimum on his third jump to secure a spot in the finals. He wasted no time taking the top spot after that, recording a mark of 22-01.5 to win his first career area crown.
Rodriguez’s win brings his season total to six, capturing the District 31-5A title in the same event last week. He heads into next week’s Region IV-5A championships with the top mark in the region according to Athletic.net, recording a jump of 23-00 earlier this year.
Dana Rojas Vasquez, McAllen High
Rojas Vasquez finished as the runner-up in the 3,200-meter run in both the district and area meets last season.
This year she’s secured titles in both, winning the District 31-5A a week ago, followed by the Area 31/32-5A championship today.
The junior distance runner led the pack for a majority of the race, with PSJA Southwest’s Yazmin Guerra the only competitor able to really keep pace with her.
Rojas Vasquez held off Guerra for the area title, pulling away down the stretch to win the race in 11:09.73.
The 2023 state track and field qualifier will look to make it two straight next week, while also looking to add a regional berth in the 1,600-meter tomorrow.
Dariana Luna, McAllen High
Luna put together a dominant outing during the Area 31/32-5A long jump, winning the event comfortably by nearly a foot.
The junior was the lone athlete to break the 17-feet mark during the meet, beating out Harlingen South’s Desiree Keith (16-07.5) with a jump of 17-03.
More impressively, Luna didn’t actively compete in the long jump last season, primarily focusing on the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.
Luna isn’t done with just winning the long jump, looking to get back to regionals in both hurdle events during tomorrow’s running finals.
Ann Mabadeje, McAllen Memorial
Mabadeje has established herself as a rising name in the region in the triple jump since last year, going from a fourth-place finish during last season’s district meet to a champion this season.
The junior jumper captured the District 31-5A crown in the event last week, following it up with a Area 31/32-5A championship today.
With a second straight regional meet appearance looming, Mabadeje is on the cusp of her first career state meet berth, ranking in the top five in Region IV-5A in the triple jump heading into next week’s competition.
