Interview with Fred Loya at Fred Loya Invitational
Article by Suhail Boureslan
In such a demanding sport where hours are spent
practicing repeats, hand offs, throws, etc; it's always refreshing to hear
about our communities within our cities support our athletes with selfless acts
of generosity. That's why it is no surprise that Fred Loya from Fred Loya
Insurance donates a lot of time and effort into helping out his community. He
has been doing so for years and has impacted the track scene greatly. That is
why one of the biggest Track and Field meets of the season is named after him.
This meet draws in some of the best runners in the city and this past weekend
was another great one. We got to speak to Fred Loya and his gentle yet humbled
demeanor was visibly apparent. Thank you again Mr. Loya for supporting this grueling
sport.
Spotlight Interview withJennelle Jaeger-darakjy at Fred Loya Invitational
The meet started off well but it
was when we got to the girl's 800m that we got to witness one of the best in El
Paso compete. El Paso Coronado's Jennelle Jaeger-darakjy proved why she's
worthy of being a state runner. She ran an impressive 2:15.77, 2 seconds shy of
a PR but with a lot of wind at the meet, Jennelle was happy with her
performance. Her efforts didn't stop there as she also went on to win the
girl's 400m with a time of 58.40. Both earned her a #7 ranking for the 800m and
a #49 ranking for the 400m. Check out her interview to see what Jennelle
attributes to her success in running both sprinting and distance events.
Spotlight Interview with Anthony Molina at Fred Loya Invitational
Every meet this season, the
distance runners have put on show after show to make a statement for their
city. We saw fireworks in both the 3200m and 1600m as repeating state runners
Edwin Gomez from San Elizario and El Paso Eastwood's Anthony Molina went neck and neck in both
races. Each race was swift and came down to the very end. Gomez challenged
Molina for the top spot but Molina flexed some of his leg speed as he was able
to out kick Gomez in both races. Anthony has nothing but the highest praise for
his competition which he says pushes him to new limits. He also spoke very
highly of his coaches dedication to himself and his team with he said pushes
him week in and week out. Molina finished two tough races in the wind with a
time of 4:30.49 in the mile and 9:40.58 in the 3200m.
Not only does this
meet draw in some of the best runners but we are also able to witness some of
the best field event athletes as well. We saw a huge display of technique and
power from El Paso Socorro's Gilbert Macias and El Paso Franklin's Johnny Cerros discus throwers. They both showed their tenacity as they fought for
first and second with a respective distance of 148'07.00" from Macias and
146'05.00" from Cerros. Their determination earned them a spot in the top
100 rankings for the state of Texas. We also got to see two girls discus
throwers earn themselves a top 100 ranking. Emerald Armenta from El Paso
Socorro moved into a #46 ranking with a distance of 118-0 and El Paso
Eastwood's Ashley Cordero currently sits at #73 with a distance of 112-9. We're
sure to see more from our throwers as the season progresses.
