SAN ANTONIO — Potential downpour caused Saturday’s running finals to be moved up three hours, starting in the morning instead of afternoon.
Reduced rest times and an early start couldn’t stop the Valley’s athletes from shining during Day 2 of the Region IV-5A and 6A track and field championships, with local athletes claiming seven regional titles and state berths in 12 different events.
From McAllen High’s girls track teams to Roma’s Diego Rodriguez here is a look at the automatic state qualifiers from Saturday’s action.
McALLEN HIGH GIRLS TRACK TEAM
It was an eventful weekend for McAllen High’s girls track and field team, entering the meet with the most qualifiers of any RGV team.
Fresh off winning the District 31-5A and Area 31/32-5A crown, the Bulldogs put on a show again, winning the Region IV-5A team championship.
Cementing the Bulldogs regional crown was the 4×400 relay team, which finished second in the event with a time of 3:52.69. The win kept the Bulldogs one point ahead of Smithson Valley in the team standings and secured the regional title.
The Bulldogs ended the meet with three automatic state qualifiers, with Dariana Luna (100-meter hurdles) and their 4×200 relay team each securing state bids.
FAITH FRANKLIN, HARLINGEN HIGH
Franklin zoomed past the competition during Day 2 of the regional meet, capturing individual championships in the 200- and 400-meter dash.
The Valley’s fastest opened her morning with a dominant showing during the 400-meter dash, tying her own meet record of 53.15 for her second straight regional crown in the event.
She followed it up by blazing past the competition in the 200-meter dash, earning her first regional title in the event after finishing as the runner-up last year.
The Vanderbilt signee now has two weeks to prepare for her final high school meet, with her sights set on capturing the gold and setting a new Texas record during the UIL state meet in two weeks.
SAN JUANITA LEAL, EDINBURG NORTH
Leal had a chance to capture the triple crown during last year’s regional meet, but ultimately opted out of the 800-meter run after winning the 31-6A crown and choosing to only continue in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter run.
This year the Texas A&M signee has been on a mission, competing in all three events throughout the year.
The added weight hasn’t affected Leal this season, punching her ticket to state in all three events during this weekend’s regional meet.
After capturing the 3,200-meter title Friday, Leal put on a show during Day 2, winning the Region IV-6A title in the 800-meter run with a meet-record time of 2:08.64.
Leal capped her day by securing the triple crown with a win during the Region IV-6A 1,600-meter run. The Edinburg North distance runner finished in 4:46.57 to win the event.
Leal heads into the state meet ranking in the top 10 in each event, looking to repeat as state champ in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, while also hoping to add another gold in the 800.
DIEGO RODRIGUEZ, ROMA
Rodriguez just missed out on a state berth during last year’s regional meet, finishing third in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200-meter dash.
This year the Roma sprinter is heading to state in both event after winning the Region IV-5A title in the 100-meter dash and adding a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash.
Rodriguez edged Kyle Lehman’s Timothy Mata for the final state berth during the Region IV-5A 200-meter dash, clocking in at 21.46.
His best performance came during the 100-meter dash, however, winning the regional crown in a time of 10.65 seconds. Seguin’s Nikolas Henry came in second with a time of 10.69.
The senior is now set for his first state meet appearance.
DIEGO PINA, PSJA MEMORIAL
The Region IV-5A 800-meter finals presented one of the hardest fought races of the meet Saturday, with the top five finishers all crossing the finish line within two seconds of one another.
Piña was on the winning side of those finishes, holding off the rest of the competition for the silver medal and the final state meet berth during the event.
The Wolverines’ mid-distance runner battled with a pair of Boerne Champion runners during the final 100 meters of the race, both jockeying for position to get past Piña.
Piña managed to hold both of them off, beating Caleb Dehart by .21 seconds and Luis Tovar by .79 seconds.
Like Rodriguez, Piña is headed to the state meet for the first time in his career.
DARIANA LUNA, McALLEN HIGH
Luna opted out of last year’s 100- and 300-meter hurdle finals during the Region IV-5A track and field championships despite being seeded No. 1 in both events.
The McAllen High junior made her presence felt this year, however, taking home the regional crown in the 100-meter hurdles, while adding a bronze medal in the 300-meter hurdles.
Luna went toe-to-toe with Lockhart’s Jade Selmon for the win, with the Bulldogs’ hurdler pushing past Selmon by .03 seconds for the win.
She fell just short of two automatic state berths during the 300-meter hurdles, finishing .24 seconds behind the silver medalist.
Luna is the third RGV athlete set to make her state debut following Saturday’s running finals.
ANGEL RODRIGUEZ, SHARYLAND PIONEER
Rodriguez built off yesterday’s silver medal during the long jump and earned a second state meet spot during Day 2 of the regional meet, winning the Region IV-5A boys 400-meter dash.
The sophomore athlete battled back from second to overtake San Antonio Wagner’s Kevon Carter for the gold during the final 20 meters of the race, winning by .21 seconds.
Rodriguez clocked in at 49.13 for the win, followed by Carter (49.34) and Corpus Christi Flour Bluff’s Owen Aggus (49.94).
The Diamondbacks do-it-all athlete is set to compete in two events during his first career state meet appearance in two weeks.
ZIA CASAS, EDINBURG VELA
Casas’ regional meet ended during the area meet last season, failing to qualify for regionals in either of her two events.
The SaberCats’ sprinter came back with a vengeance this year, setting a personal best during the Region IV-5A 200-meter dash finals en route to her first state berth.
Casas clocked in at 24.87 during the race, setting a personal best. She finished just .38 seconds away from a gold medal, with Lockhart’s Rakaia Walker winning the race in 24.49.
The junior sprinter is headed into unchartered waters for a second straight week, never having been past the area round prior to this season.
For full results of all regional meets featuring RGV athletes, visit RGVSports.com.
