AUSTIN — Grulla senior Fatima Montes never dreamed she’d compete at the UIL state track meet. The four-year letterman had never placed higher than fourth at the regional meet during her first three years, with only the top two finishers advancing to state.
This year, however, everything changed.
The Gators’ thrower entered her final season with a new mindset, aiming to go out on top. Montes even began training with former Rio Grande City thrower Dillon McGuffin, who also coached Serina Ramirez, last year’s Class 5A discus state champion and current TCU thrower.
The newly motivated Montes dominated her way to her first state meet appearance, capturing District 32-4A, Area 31/32-4A and Region IV-4A titles in the discus and shot put.
She put the finishing touches on a dream season Thursday, earning a spot on the podium in the Class 4A discus during Day 1 of the UIL state track and field championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
“This is definitely a dream come true,” Montes said. “At the start of this season, I had this down as a goal for myself. I just worked hard every single day, including practicing hard on the weekends. It definitely has been a long process, but it worked in my favor. I feel very emotional. It feels surreal. I never believed I’d be here. To medal in this big of a competition, it is a dream come true.”
Montes’ state debut began in the morning, as she first stepped into the ring to compete in the Class 4A girls shot put. Despite first-time jitters, the Gators’ thrower put on a solid showing during the event, coming in fifth with a throw of 39 feet, 3.25 inches.
After competing in her first of two events, Montes felt the nerves start to vanish, entering the 4A girls discus cool and collected.
A slight downpour began just moments before the start of the event, but even that couldn’t deter the Grulla senior, who opened with a throw of 127-5 to put her in second place after one round of throws.
“Nerves definitely got the best of me early,” Montes said. “It really helped having already competed in the shot put earlier in the morning. I was able to shake everything off after the first event and was able to come in more relaxed during the discus.”
After dropping to third after the second round of attempts, Montes’ confidence shone through again on her third throw, and she moved back into second with a mark of 132-4. The throw was good enough to secure the silver medal, with no other competitor behind Montes surpassing the 130-feet mark after.
Montes wraps her career up as a three-time district champ in the discus and a one-time district shot put champ, and also added area and regional titles in both events this year.
“I don’t think being in state hit me until this morning,” Montes said. “Even after winning regionals, it didn’t hit me until this morning on the drive up here. That’s when I realized I was competing in state. It was just really emotional for me. This year was a big change in determination from my first three years. I had a harder work ethic this season. I really wanted this, and I made it come true.”
Montes’ silver-medal performance highlighted a solid start to the 2024 UIL state track meet for RGV athletes.
La Feria senior Liana Navarro wrapped up a four-year varsity career with a third-place finish in the 4A girls 3,200-meter run, finishing in 11 minutes, 6.26 seconds.
The bronze medal marked the second state track podium finish of Navarro’s career, as she also took third in the same event as a sophomore in 2022.
“Last year I was a little disappointed after going from the podium as a sophomore to fifth place as a junior,” Navarro said. “Getting back to the podium and earning a medal my senior year, it made me really happy. I worked so hard for this. I’m just really proud of myself.”
Sophomore Armando Morales joined Navarro as the second La Feria athlete to reach the podium during Day 1 of the meet, also earning the bronze in the 4A boys 3,200-meter run.
Armando, who was making his state debut, finished .006 seconds ahead of twin brother Anthony Morales for a spot on the podium. Both athletes set personal bests during the race, with Armando taking third with a time of 9:20.302, followed by Anthony in fourth with a time of 9:20.308.
“To be honest, when I saw him going, I didn’t know if I wanted to give it to him,” Armando said. “It was hurting so bad, but I told myself I had to go for it. When I saw the finish line I just leaned a little bit more, and I think that’s how I got him.”
Armando finished off his state debut by competing in the Class 4A boys 1,600-meter run alongside senior teammate Evan Torres.
The Lions distance runner added a fifth-place performance to cap his state debut just one year after having to watch from the stands as he made his state debut without him. Torres finished eighth in the race.
“Of course, last year motivated me,” Armando said. “It just sucked seeing him run and not being to be out there with him. Today just being able to stand next to him and race with him, it gave me so much motivation coming into this race.”
The 2024 UIL state track and field championships continue today with Day 2 featuring Class 2A and 5A athletes. Field events and the 3,200-meter run are set to begin at 9 a.m., with running events to follow at 5 p.m.
For full results of events featuring Valley athletes, click here.
