Familiar Faces Win at Donna
By Peter Rasmussen/ Monitor Staff Writer
The Donna Cross Country Invitational could have been run 10 weeks into the season, and the results probably would have been similar.
If Saturday was any indication, familiar faces will prevail time and again this year. McAllen Memorial's Tricia Terry and Mercedes' Alex De La Garza, two of the Rio Grande Valley's best runners in 2005, provided a predictable result in winning their respective races Saturday at Donna. The Two Sophomores are expected to shine in 2006, and all newcomers and challengers will have to wait until the next meet to dethrone the runners. "It feels awesome to win, but at the same time it's just training District later in the season," De La Garza said.
Terry, the top valley girls finisher at the Region IV-5A Meet (fifth) and the UIL State Cross Country Championships (24) last season. picked up where she left off a year ago, cruising to the top spot on the girls side with a time of 11:47. Her nearest challenger, Brownsville Lopez's Vanessa Garcia, finished with a time of 12:37. Edinburg High's Diana Galloso rounded out the top 3 with a time of 12:47. Terry led the entire way. "My time was not as good as I wanted it to be," Terry said "I did OK for being my first race of the season, but at my next race I want to finish in the 11:30's."
Unlike Terry, De La Garza had to fight a little more for his victory. The tigers' standout did not take control of the race until the final half mile of the race. From that point, he breezed to the boys top spot with a 16:21. Donna's Abraham Lopez (16:29) tried to make a push with about a quarter of a mile to go, but had to settle for 2nd. Lopez's finish wasn't unusual , as he has proven in the past to be a dangerous runner.
The team results were also predictable, as two of the top teams from last season regeined supreme on Saturday. Sharyland took home the top prize in the girls division and the invitational host Donna was victorious on the boys side. The lady rattlers, who are as good as anyone when it comes to running in a pack for as long as possible, only placed two runners in the top 20- Jessica Murillo (15) and Rebecca Corea (16). "I tell the girls to stay together, that they could almost touch each other." Lady Rattlers Coach Sandra Guerero said. "I want them to finish together. We didn't do that much today, but that was tough with this being the only race in the valley. There are a lot of teams.
By Peter Rasmussen/ Monitor Staff Writer