DONNA — Donna High’s Kevin Hernandez burst onto the Valley’s cross-country scene as a freshman, finishing sixth at the District 32-5A meet and advancing to his first regional appearance.
Hernandez finished 34th at regionals, missing out on a state meet berth. As a sophomore, Hernandez returned to the regional meet and finished 19th, falling just short of his first state appearance with only the top 16 runners advancing.
“I was bummed out, but I told myself my junior year would be a whole different story,” Hernandez said. “I just took it more seriously. I’ve always been serious, but I took it more seriously. … My mentality, it was that drive to run every day. My workouts and practices didn’t really change. Just how much work I was willing to put in and taking care of my body.”
Hernandez’s newfound mentality took the distance runner to another level, earning back-to-back individual District 32-5A titles during his junior and senior years.
Additionally, Hernandez finally broke through and reached the state meet as a junior, adding another appearance as a senior.
Now, the decorated distance runner is set to take his talents to the next level, signing his national letter of intent to run at the University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday at the Donna High Gym.
UIW is a Division I program in San Antonio which competes in the Southland Conference.
“I’m just amazed, relieved and proud of myself for all the work I’ve done the past four years,” Hernandez said. “Everything came together and falling into place. All my hard work is paying off. I’m so excited and happy for myself.”
Hernandez becomes one of the Valley’s latest boys’ cross-country runners to sign to run at the Division I level this season, joining PSJA North’s Hector Solis (Texas) and Mission High’s Rogelio Aguirre (Texas–Arlington).
“To all the runners I’ve ever raced, from Rogelio and Hector, or from across the Valley, I want to thank them all,” Hernandez said. “They always pushed me in races. When we would see each other, it was a type of bond of pushing each other to be better and PR each race.”
Hernandez wrapped his high school cross-country career as a two-time individual district champion, four-time regional and two-time state qualifier. He earned his top finish at the state meet as a senior, coming in 15th with a time of 15 minutes, 39.3 seconds.
On the track, Hernandez has found success as well, serving as District 32-5A’s reigning champion in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. This season, Hernandez has placed first in six of his eight races, including a personal best time of 9:23.92 during the 3,200 at the PSJA Battlin’ Bear Relays on Feb. 25.
Hernandez’s time ranks No. 1 in school history, breaking the record set by his former head coach, Juan Davila, in 2005.
“I only met him last year personally,” Donna High head coach Michael Gomez said. “Right away, I knew that Kevin was a phenomenal runner. … Just a few weeks ago he broke coach Davila’s record in the two-mile. When he finished that race, he was like a little kid jumping up and down. … That record had been held by coach Davila since 2005. Now it’s Kevin’s and I know he’s going to break many more.”
Hernandez plans to major in history at UIW, hoping to pursue a career in education.
