What was your most memorable race?
Though I had PLENTY of memorable races, I would have to say the most memorable one was the state 1600m run my senior year. I was a complete mess before the race. Coming off of a sub-par performance in the 3200 the previous day, I felt all the pressure in the world, and to top that, I had been feeling a dull cramp in my side throughout the day, and, to make matters worse, as I walked into the warm-up area I realized I was missing a spike. As I did some last minute warm-ups, I couldn't help but think negative thoughts about what was about to ensue, but once I arrived at the starting line, I completely relaxed and cleared my mind. Fortunately, once the race began, adrenaline took over, and I was able to put together a 2nd place finish, closing the last 400m in around 58 seconds and finishing three-tenths of a second behind 2A triple-crown winner Quinlin McGregor.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
Well my sophomore and junior years my school was in class 3A and our XC team's biggest competition was Liberty Hill, who were in our district. Though we tried countless times, we never got the best of them. Next I would say, Cesar Gonzalez of Lytle. In cross country our junior year, I edged him by one-tenth of a second in the Region 4-3A Championships to take the last individual state-qualifying spot. 
To my dismay, he got his payback in the 3200 run at the Region 4-3A track meet, ironically edging me by one-one hundredth of a second to take the 2nd and final state-qualifying spot in that event (Just so you guys know, we're good friends now :-D). Then senior year when the realignment moved us back down to 2A, Luling was our biggest competition in XC. As my team trained for our last cross country season (Our top 6 runners were seniors), we knew we would have to go through Luling, who had won the previous two state titles, to win it all, and that motivated us throughout the whole season. We ended up finishing 2nd to them, but it was still a very successful season for us. Finally, at the regional track meet my senior year, I battled with Evan Arambula in both the 3200 and the 1600; he edged me by .02 in the 3200 and I got him by .01 in the 1600 the next day.
To my dismay, he got his payback in the 3200 run at the Region 4-3A track meet, ironically edging me by one-one hundredth of a second to take the 2nd and final state-qualifying spot in that event (Just so you guys know, we're good friends now :-D). Then senior year when the realignment moved us back down to 2A, Luling was our biggest competition in XC. As my team trained for our last cross country season (Our top 6 runners were seniors), we knew we would have to go through Luling, who had won the previous two state titles, to win it all, and that motivated us throughout the whole season. We ended up finishing 2nd to them, but it was still a very successful season for us. Finally, at the regional track meet my senior year, I battled with Evan Arambula in both the 3200 and the 1600; he edged me by .02 in the 3200 and I got him by .01 in the 1600 the next day.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
Probably the progression of my times in the 1600. My first race freshman year I hit a time around 5:45 and my final race senior year (at state) I ran a 4:19.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
I would have completely committed myself to the sport for not just my senior year, but throughout high school, by maintaining good health, taking the initiative on running more miles (especially during the summer), and by signing up to compete in more post-season races.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
During the middle of base training my freshman year my left lung partially collapsed, and I had to get it surgically repaired, which put me in the hospital for a week and kept me from running for 4 months. Building my aerobic capacity back-up to the point where I could be competitive was difficult. There were one or two races my sophomore year where I pushed my body to the point of walking. It took all the way up to my senior year before I could finally compete consistently well.
What will you miss the most?
I will miss running the 5k's during cross country (as you may know, the standard distances in college are 8k and 10k) but even more so I will miss competing with my teammates during cross country, and our dominating performances at the local meets that we attended, and also all of the fun high school track meets. 
I will miss competing with the other members of the "Dream Team" (our name for our 4x400 relay consisting of four XC runners, including myself). Most of all, I will miss training with my brother Nick; we put a hell of a lot of work into the sport this past year and I hate to see it end.
I will miss competing with the other members of the "Dream Team" (our name for our 4x400 relay consisting of four XC runners, including myself). Most of all, I will miss training with my brother Nick; we put a hell of a lot of work into the sport this past year and I hate to see it end.
What advice you would give to younger athletes?
Start focusing and committing yourself to running early on, as it will pay off tremendously in the future. Do all of the little things, such as stretching, eating right, staying hydrated, and above all, stay humble.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Coach Mewhinney, my cross country coach, provided the grounds for me to be successful in both cross country and track, especially compared to most 2A programs, and I could not thank her enough. She influenced me to show up to every speed/interval workout that I could, and the workouts that she provided helped truly develop my ability, particularly during track. And my head track coach, Coach Simmons, scheduled great meets for our team to attend (such as the Jesuit-Sheaner relays, where I hit my 1600 PR in a very competitive field), and was very supportive of me. I will miss them both greatly
What are your college plans?
I plan to run XC and Track for Texas Tech University! As of right now, I plan to major in Finance.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I'd like to thank my parents for supporting me through thick and thin, Coach Mewhinney, Coach Simmons, Nick and Robert (my two primary training partners), and everyone else that has supported me throughout my high school career. Also, I would like to thank you Mr. Aldaco for your up-keeping of the great and useful txrunning.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Wreck' em!
