The meet of the season is almost here and it's one you don't want to miss. The 18th Annual Eastwood Fred Loya Invitational meet is this weekend and a meet of this size has shown to draw out some great performances. Fred Loya is a local business man/philanthropist who throughout the years has really shown his support for the city. He has sponsored this race for years and has really contributed to help showcase and amplify the running scene in El Paso.
Athletes To Keep An Eye On
The El Paso Metro area is well known for the distance scene but there's many notable sprinters we need to look out for. On the boys side, we have a first year sprinter out of Coronado HS. Senior Cade Little has burst into the scene out of nowhere and has posted some incredible times in the 400m. He currently sits atop the boys rankings in the event with a time of 49.73. He mentioned to us that he felt more comfortable as the season has progressed and is confident he can get his time down even more.
Christopher Moreno helped push the pace at the Bobby Aguirre Invitational in the 1600m. He finished 2nd with a time of 4:29.91.
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The boy to keep an eye on this weekend is Josiah Johnson out of Immanuel Christian. Josiah Johnson has been taking the hurdling scene by storm in El Paso. While having an impressive standing to be top 35 in the 110 hurdles in the state, Johnson holds an even more impressive spot in the 300 hurdles with a time of 38.22. Josiah is currently sitting at 7th in the state of Texas and an even more impressive 11th place spot in the nation.
Josiah Johnson talks post 110H race at the Jim Omohundro Invitational
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On the girls side, we have just as stacked of a resume of athletes that you can expect some great performances out of. One of the top names that comes to mind that will be in attendance is Morgan Little from Chapin HS. Little is dominating the girls rankings in nearly every event she runs in. She has managed to remain undefeated in every sprinting event this season so far but what might be her top event is the Long Jump. Morgan currently holds a city season record of 19-05 which also puts her 12th in the state. One thing is certain, we're almost guaranteed fireworks in any event Morgan is entered in.
In the distance scene we have one of the best runners to come out of Montwood HS. Senior Kassandra Jimenez has shown toughness every race she has entered but track gives her the platform to really showcase her race IQ. The UT Arlington recruit has dabbled a little in some mid distance races this season to work on her speed but this weekend we are bound to see her showcase her talent in the 3200m and more.
Kassandra Jimenez post 800m talks working on her speed and season.
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Races To Watch And Why
There are two races on the girl's side that are a must watch. Chapin HS has been producing some of the city's top girl sprinters and this year's 4x100m relay team is something special to behold. Even with some "off hands-offs" as the Chapin girl's relay team put it, there doesn't seem to be any team to challenge their speed. Posting a #1 ranking with a time of 48.18, this relay is one you don't want to miss.
Chapin Girls 4x100m relay team went unchallenged at the San Elizario Relays to finish with a comfortable 40 meter lead.
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Another race you don't want to miss is the varsity girl's 800m. Eastwood HS sophomore Adelynn Rodriguez may be young but she has shown incredible growth in just the year and a half she's been running in high school. She's a multistate qualifying Cross Country runner who in Track, has really been able to showcase her speed. She's currently #1 in the city for the 800m with a time of 2:18.80. She has an incredible kick and has shown some real progression in her racing smarts as well.
Eastwood's Adelynn Rodriguez ran a perfect race to finish 1st at the Jim Omohundro Invitational.
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The last race you don't want to miss is the boys 4x400m. Two weeks ago we saw a real nail biter when Franklin HS was nearly dethroned. Only .03 seconds separated both teams! Eastwoods boys' relay team made it a close race that came down to a couple meters but ultimately fell short and finished in second place with a time of 3:26.29. Both teams sit at the top of the 4x400m rankings. This weekend we will see a rejuvenated Eastwood boy's team that will be challenging for the #1 spot in the rankings.
Eastwood's 4x400m boys relay talk about close race and season focus.
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This weekend's meet will be livestreamed Friday/Saturday and will also have instant results so you can stay up to date race by race. There will be over 20 schools in attendance so if want to keep up with the action you can find it here.