Photo of Maverick James (right lane)
Even though it is the offseason for high school track and field that does not mean we can't still have fun with it. The San Antonio All-Name Team is something I have been thinking about for the last couple of years, but never did anything about it until this year when I actually started keeping track of all the unique, awesome and unusual names I see when looking over track results week-after-week.
I want to shine a light on some of the best names I saw this year. Each athlete's name will be followed by why their name piqued my interest and then a little background on their 2025 season. As a disclaimer, relay information is notoriously difficult to find so I am sure that some of the following athletes were contributing members of relay teams, but I was unable to find the information.
Girls
Rainn Echohawk, So. Churchill - It is only fitting that the list starts with my favorite all-around name. Echohawk ran the 100mh and was a JV high jumper. She finished fifth at the District 27-6A meet in the high jump and had a season best of 4-8.
Byrd Halo, Sr., Clemens - I'm not sure which part of the name I like better, Byrd or Halo. Both are great and it was a lock that she would make the team as soon as I saw it. After running the 100m as a junior, she focused on the long jump this year posting a season best of 15-10 and finished 10th at the District 29-6A meet.
Diaavionce Irvin, Sr., Southside - I feel positive that I would butcher Irvin's first name, but it looks amazing in print and she has to be on the team. Irvin was a three-time District 28-5A finalist in the 400m and was part of the District runner-up 4x400m team that qualified for the Region IV-5A meet along with another member of the All-Name Team.
Ayren Lightfoot, Sr., Canyon Lake - I love the spelling of her first name and Lightfoot is the perfect last name for a fast runner. Lightfoot has been one of the top 400m runners in the area for the past three seasons. She finished fourth in the State as a junior and was headed that way again after winning her district and area titles this year. She was disqualified in her 400m preliminary race at the Region meet despite having the second best time. She has a personal best time of 56.77 in the 400m.
Ocean Valenciano, So., Boerne - This is one of two Ocean's on the list and she also has a fun last name to say, Valenciano. She was a sprinter this year who narrowly missed making the finals at District 26-5A. She also ran on the Boerne 4x100m relay team that finished fifth in the district.
Abcde Villarreal, Sr., Southside - Honestly, this is the name that made me decide I needed to do an All-Name Team. Villarreal ran the 200m and was an Area qualifier in the pole vault, but she had her most success running on the Southside 4x400m team with Diaavionce Irvin that qualified for the Regional meet.
Kylie Zappy, Fr., Sotomayor - When your last name is Zappy and you are on the track team you automatically make any All-Name Team. The funny thing is that Zappy threw the shot put and did not run any races. She had a solid freshman season posting a personal best of 31-5 in the shot put.
Boys
Marvellous Daniya, Sr., Sotomayor - If people called me Marvellous all day every day I think it would give me a great outlook on life. Daniya was a long jumper and triple jumper this year posting his best performance at the NEISD 9 meet where he went 40-0 in the triple jump.
Rowdy Esparza, So., Devine - There are a couple of Rowdy's on this list and since I am also a baseball fan I always think of the barrel-chested first baseman Rowdy Tellez when I see the name. This Rowdy is nothing like that Rowdy. He was a Regional finalist in both the long jump and triple jump posting season bests of 21-11.25 in the long jump and 43-6 in the triple jump. This summer he started to run the 400m and clocked a time of 49.63.
Archer Garate, Jr., Pieper - This is one of the more war-like names out there and it is outstanding. In addition, he is a solid distance runner for the Warriors who narrowly missed qualifying for the Area meet in the 800m after finishing fifth in 2:00.02 in the strong District 26-5A.
Gatling Gunn, Jr., Natalia - As a person who has watched the PBS series "Civil War" more than once, Gatling Gunn is another auto pick to my All-Name Team. Gunn did not start competing this year until the championship season but made the most of his opportunities. He advanced all the way to the UIL 3A Region IV meet in the long jump and was a District 28-3A finalist in the 100m.
Maverick James, Jr., Steele - Now that I am looking at the last three athletes on the list I think I might have a leaning toward names that sound like they were in an old Western movie. Of all the athletes on this list James is likely the one I have written the most about. He was one of the top 400m runners in San Antonio this year. He was the District 29-6A champion with a time of 47.62 and finished third at the Regional meet running a time of 48.03. He also showed potential in the 200m with a time of 21.77 at the New Braunfels Invitational.
Davinci Johnson, Jr., Clemens - I really like names like this that have a unique first name and a common last name. Johnson was a consistent performer for Clemens in the long and triple jump. He was a little stronger in the triple jump posting a top mark of 41-6 and narrowly missed scoring at the District 29-6A meet.
Lucky Juarez, Jr., Floresville - You can't go wrong with a name like Lucky. Juarez was a Region IV-4A finalist in the pole vault. He finished third in District 27-4A and had a season best of 13-0.
Prince Medrano, Sr., Seguin - I am also a sucker for names that make me think of royalty. Medrano had an outstanding senior season winning district and area titles in the 1600m and 3200m before finishing his season with a pair of fourth place finishes in the UIL Region IV-5A meet. He ran 4:25.64 and 9:40.91 at the region meet in the two races.
Ocean Moreno, Sr., Seguin - The second body of water on my All-Name Team. Moreno was a critical part of a strong Seguin squad and was one of the best sprinters in the Region. He was a district and area champion in the 100m and 200m and finished fifth in the Region in the 100m. He was also part of the 4x400m relay team that qualified for the UIL 5A State meet.
Rowdy Proctor, So., Canyon - It was a great year for Rowdy's this year in the San Antonio area. Proctor was a Regional finalist in the high jump and cleared 6-6 this year. He also contributed in the 110mh for the Cougars.
Slash Ty Rosinski, Sr., Steele - Slash is one of the more unique names on the list, but I really like it. Rosinski had a solid season for a strong Steele team. He finished fourth in District 29-6A in the shot put and had a personal best at the Area meet with a throw of 45-4.75.
Quatro Stewart, So., Fredericksburg Heritage - Part of me wonders if this is a nickname to mean he is the fourth of a name in the Stewart family. Regardless, it is a cool name and Stewart was a nice contributor for Fredericksburg Heritage's State championship team. He finished fourth in TAPPS 1A in the triple jump and was part of two medal winning relay teams, the 4x100m and 4x200m.
Elegant Thompson, Sr., South San - It makes sense that with a name like Elegant that an athlete would be good at a lot of events. Thompson competed in five individual events at the Area meet level and was a Regional qualifier in the long jump and triple jump. In terms of just points scored at meets throughout the season Thompson had to be one of the leaders in San Antonio.
Lord Atticus Wootton, Sr., Alamo Heights - A perfect name to end the list. Lord Atticus sounds like a knight from the Middle Ages. He was part of the Mules' very successful 4x100m relay team that made it all the way to the State meet. He also ran on the 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams that each placed at their district meet.