McHi girls wins second straight regional title, send six to state

5 hours ago 19

SAN ANTONIO 一 McAllen High’s girls track and field team became the first RGV team in roughly 50 years to win a regional track team championship last season, beating out Smithson Valley by one point for the title.

They left nothing to chance this season, delivering arguably the best performance of any Valley team during the regional meets and scoring 118 points en route to their second straight Region IV-5A girls team championship Saturday at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio.

The 118 points were nearly 30 more than Smithson Valley, who finished in second with 89 points.

“It was awesome just hearing them call out McAllen again and again,” McAllen High senior Dariana Luna said. “For us to come up here and winning in the relays, in the individual events and even the field events, its just amazing. I hope the RGV teams have an opportunity to see what we can do and how we can come up here and place. We just hope that they take this and get inspired.”

Spearheading McHi’s dominant day was its three relay teams, with two of the three finishing first and the third capturing the silver to secure a spot at the state meet in two weeks.

The Bulldogs 4×100 relay team, made up of Katelyn Vaden, Ava Barreda, Ecklyn Vaden and Sophia Flores kicked things off for McHi, finishing in 47.69 to earn the regional crown. The time is the second fastest time in RGV history, trailing only their own record time of 47.16 set earlier this year.

The same athletes competed in the 4×200 for the Bulldogs, clocking in at a Valley record time of 1:39.03 to secure its second regional title of the day. The time beat their own mark of 1:40.86 set this season.

The Bulldogs relay teams capped their day with a second place finish during the 5A girls 4×400 relay team, clocking in at 3:50.46. The consisted of most of the same athletes from the other two relays, with the only difference being the replacement of Ecklyn Vaden for Yaneli Rocha.

“We really didn’t think the 4×100 was going to be one of our qualifying events, but once we hit that 47 we knew we had something special,” McAllen High senior Katelyn Vaden said. “Last year we finished sixth or seventh in that event and this year we were able to hit first. I think we’re the first team in the Valley to make it out in the event and get first. It’s really nice to just hear that. … It has just been astonishing to see how good we’ve done. I think it’s all about pushing each other in practice. That’s what we do for each other.”

Also contributing to the Bulldogs team championship was Luna. The senior dominated the 5A girls hurdling events, capturing the gold in both events during the meet.

Luna won the 100-meter hurdles for a second straight year, recording a time of 13.90 seconds. The time was her second straight sub-14 second time of the meet, recording an all-time Valley best time of 13.84 during the prelims on Friday.

She followed up her performance during the 100-meter hurdles with another dominant showing during the 300-meter hurdles, winning the Region IV-5A title with a time of 43.35. The mark ranks No. 3 in the Valley all-time.

Luna finished the meet with three medals and state bids, also earning the silver in the long jump Friday. Her 28 points were the most by an individual for McHi’s regional championship team.

“I’m blessed,” Luna said. “Last year I fell short in the 300 hurdles, but I used that to push me this year. I’m glad I was able to come back and take it. In the 100 hurdles, that has become second nature to me. I’m just glad I’ve been able to PR as much as I have been doing and being able to come out and perform like I have been.”

The Bulldogs’ regional championship was just one of the many highlights during Day 2 of the

Region IV-5A/6A track and field championships, with the Valley claiming nine individual regional titles and advancing a total of nine individuals and five relay teams to the state meet.

Senior Dana Rojas Vazquez joined McAllen High’s group of state qualifiers, advancing in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. The Houston commit finished second in the 1,600-meter run Saturday with a time of 4:55.82.

Junior Sophia Flores rounded out the Bulldogs state qualifiers, advancing in the 200-meter run after winning the silver medal Saturday.

McAllen High’s boys team added a trio of regional champions of its own, with the 4×200 relay team, 4×400 relay team and junior Jacksen Ahlman each winning gold.

Despite having to use a reserve during the finals, the Bulldogs 4×200 relay team still managed to secure the gold and set a Valley record in the event with a time of 1:26.72. The time broke the previous record of 1:27.23 set by Sharyland High in 2011.

“I think it just kind of made us mad losing our first leg because we hold him very dear to us,” McAllen High senior Samuel Enriquez said. “He had to get his appendix removed because literally yesterday he was hurting from his stomach. So he got his appendix removed today. We just kept him in our prayers and did this race for him because he wanted to go to state so bad. He was trying to get off that table after surgery because he wanted to run with us. We told him to chill out and that we’d handle it for him and well we did.”

Ahlman added to the Bulldogs gold medal count, capturing first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.28. The win sends Ahlman to the state meet for the first time in his career, improving from last year’s ninth place finish at regionals.

McHi’s boys team put the final touches on a strong regional meet during the 4×400 relay, winning the title with a time of 3:15.57. The time set a new meet record, breaking the previous mark of 3:17.61 set by Victoria West in 2017.

Enriquez brought McAllen’s state qualifiers up to four, finishing second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.87. McHi’s boys team finished tied for second in the team standings with Alamo Heights, both netting 58 points. Liberty Hill won the team championships with 76 points.

“We’re very grateful,” McAllen High senior Joseph Tavion Rivas said. “We’ve been working all season long. We always carry our bibles with us because we feel having faith is important. We’re just very grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to be able to come out and compete. Look what God did though. We won both relays, something I didn’t even imagine was possible. We’re just very grateful.”

Harlingen High and Weslaco East brought home a pair of individual championships of their own during the final day of competition, bringing the RGV’s total to nine.

Cardinals senior Alana Rouquette took home the gold during the 6A girls 300-meter hurdles, clocking in at 42.63 to secure her first career state bid. The time vaulted her to No. 1 all-time in the RGV, breaking the previous best of 42.98 set by Leigha Brown in 2013.

Gonzalez was the final RGV regional champion during the meet, winning the 5A boys 1,600-meter run. The senior finished in 4:17.84 to secure the first state bid of his career.

Sharyland Pioneer’s Angel Rodriguez and Edinburg Vela’s Emon Mason also earned state bids during Day 2 of the regional meet, both finishing second in their respective events.

Rodriguez battled back to capture the silver during the 5A boys 400-meter run, finishing in 48.14 seconds. Meanwhile, Mason battled for the No. 2 spot in the 5A girls 400-meter run, clocking in at 56.70 seconds. The state berth marks the second of his career for Rodriguez, while Mason advances for the first time.

For a full look at the results and schedule from all regional meets click here.

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