On this blog you will find weekly profiles on runners of all levels and ages, top 10 high school cross country boys and girls teams along with the top 25 times. You will be able to find schedules and results for high school cross country and track, the USA Track & Field Border Association meets and the many road races in El Paso.
Friday’s UIL Class 5A State Track and Field action saw a few close calls but no medals for El Paso’s runners
A pair of Chapin seniors – Eireann Donohoe and Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac – came the closest.
Eireann Donohoe
Donohoe finished fourth in the Class 5A triple jump with a mark of 38-feet, 10.50 inches. Pflugerville Hendrickson junior Suzan Ogunleye finished just ahead of her (39-3.75) for third. Katy Paetow senior Tumi Onaleye won the event with a leap of 40-1.25.
Roulhac, finished fifth in 300-meter hurdles in 43.86 – a personal best.She came within milliseconds of reaching the medal stand as runners 2-5 finished within .61 seconds of each other. The winner was Lancaster senior Ashyiria Savage who finished in 42.15. Coming into the race, she was seeded eighth.
Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac
Parkland seniorAngelina Lujan-Marrufo placed eighth in the 800-meter run in 2:17.03. Lucas Lovejoy freshman Kailey Littlefield won the event in 2:08.04. She returned later in the evening and ran a 56.48 in the 400-meter run to finish fifth. The winner was Fort Bend Marshall junior Cesley Williams who ran the oval in 54.07.
Chapin’s 4X400 team ofSela Arevelo, Samahdi Foster, Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac, Kennedy McDonald finished the Class 5A championship in 3:59.20, good for seventh place at the state championship. Manvel won the event in 3:46.91.
Chapin’s 4X400 team of Sela Arevelo, Samahdi Foster, Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac, Kennedy McDonald
Del Valle senior pole vaulter Austin Lara finished sixth with a vault of 14-feet. The winner of the event was Abilene Wylie senior Kylor Aguilar who cleared the bar at 15-9.
Class 6A takes the track on Saturday morning at 8:45 a.m. with the 3,200-meter run featuring a pair of runners – Eastlake junior Israel David who was second at the Region 1-6A race finishing in 9:09.57 and Coronado sophomore Luis Pastor was third but received a wild card berth after his 9:12.03. David is the second seed and Pastor is the third seed. Haltom City Haltom senior Alfredo Reina Corona is the one seed with a 9:08.01.
David will also compete in the 1600-meter run. He was second at regionals with a time of 4:17.97, good enough for a seventh seed. He will be chasing Houston Strake Jesuit senior Anthony Gregory who comes in with a 4:10.86. This race is at 6:50 p.m. Saturday.
Americas senior Caleb Stewart will compete in the triple jump at 1:45 p.m. Stewart won the Region 1-6A championship with a jump of 46 feet, 3,25 inches. He enters the state finals qualifying in the eighth spot. Jaden Patterson, a senior from Humble Atascocita, turned in a 51-11. This event begins at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
San Elizario teammates Edwin Gomez and Chris Moreno finished 1-2 in the Class 4A 800-meter run.
San Elizario senior Edwin Gomez had himself a day on Thursday winning gold in the Class 4A 800 and silver in the 3200 at the 2021 UIL State Championship at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin.
But the like the competitor he is, Gomez was far from satisfied.
“Honestly, my focus was not on the 2-mile,” he said. “I wanted to get a medal in the 800 and the mile. In the mile, I couldn’t handle the pace, I was really tired so I couldn’t get a medal in that one.”
Gomez finished fifth in the 1,600 in 4:25.33. Canyon senior Samuel Ashley won the event in 4:21.73.
“Not getting a medal in the mile was kind of a disappointing way to finish my senior year,” he said. “But I’m on to my next step, another level of competition so I can’t worry about it.”
Gomez will be running at Mike Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas as member of the Longhorns for the next four years.
“I felt like I was running my home track,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Gomez began the day early Thursday morning winning silver in the Class 4A 3200-meter run in a time of 9:33.66, .41 seconds behind the winner Hudson Bennett from Burnet who won the race in 9:33.25.
He followed that up in the afternoon with a gold in the 800-meter run in a time of 1:56.80. San Elizario sophomore Chris Moreno was second in 1:57.29. Mt. View senior Josh Gonzalez was sixth in 1:58.68.
Gomez has now won 15 state team and individual medals from cross country and track.
“I never thought this could happen,” he said. “I gave all the credit to my two coaches, Cesar Morales and Jorge Maese for the help they have given me throughout the years. I’m going to miss them and my teammates a lot.”
Gomez gave high praise to his teammate Moreno.
“I’m really happy that he was able to experience this with me and represent San Elizario,” he said. “I know that he is going to be awesome, he’s going to be better than me. I’m really happy for him; we made history together.”
This was the first time in school history that San Elizario had runners finish first and second in any event at the state level.
“It was a special moment,” Moreno said of his first state medal. “I wasn’t expecting to finish second. I was looking at the times before the race and they were all very fast so I was a little nervous.”
Moreno credits Gomez for pushing him to be better during practice.
“Me and Edwin are very competitive with each other,” Moreno said. “We give it our all in the races and at practices, too. I’m really going to miss spending time with him.”
Tornillo’s Lizbeth Fierro earned a silver medal in the Class 3A shot put.
Fierro had a personal best 38-feet, 1/4-inches on her first throw and then on her fourth attempt, let loose with a toss of 39-8 ¾, good enough for second place behind Bushland’s Jillian Howell (40-3 1/4).
Tornillo’s Angel Torres had fourth place finishes in the Class 3A 1,600 and 3,200.
Other El Paso results
Tornillo sophomore Angel Torres ended the day with a pair of fourth place finishes in the Class 3A 3,200 and 1,600.
In the two-mile race, he finished 9:40.54 – a new school record. The old record was held by Daniel Amaya in 2018 who ran a 9:48. The winner was Will Boyce from Onalaska who finished in 9:27.31.
Torres, who won the Region 1-3A mile, finished fourth in 4:30.52. Boyce won this event in 4:26.37.
In Class 4A Riverside high jumper Ian Valdez and Clint 300 hurdler Jesus Rocha just missed medals with fourth-place finishes.
Valdez finished fourth on a tiebreaker with a leap of 6-foot-4 while Rocha just missed a bronze medal, reaching the finish line in 38.87, 0.12 behind third.
Riverside’s Angel Munoz was ninth in that race in 41.22.
Tornillo senior Lizbeth Fierro earned a silver medal in the Class 3A shot put at the UIL State Championship. She is coached by Frank Sapien.
Lizbeth Fierro’s journey to a silver medal in the Class 3A shot put is an unlikely one.
Perhaps one that would not have happened without the persistence of her coaches who never gave up on her.
The Tornillo senior surprised everyone – and we mean everyone – at the 2021 UIL State Track and Field Championship at Mike Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas on Thursday.
Fierro, a wild card selection to state, threw the shot put 39 feet 8.75 inches to earn her silver medal.
And the kicker?
She started throwing the shot put a month ago – yes, one month ago.
“I was always playing volleyball, basketball and softball,” she said, giggling. “The coaches had been asking me to go out for track since I was a freshman but I couldn’t. I was a softball player and the softball and track seasons are at the same time so I couldn’t do both.”
At the end of the softball season, Tornillo coaches Jesse Garcia and Frank Sapien asked her again.
“The coaches gave me the metal ball to see what I could do and I tossed it about 35 feet,” she said, again giggling. “They knew I could be good at it as long as I tried it.”
Fierro entered the state finals – only her fourth meet ever – as a sixth seed and eventually hit her silver mark in the fourth round. The winner was Jillian Howell, a junior at Bushland, with a toss of 40-3.25.
“At practice I’ve been throwing 41 (feet) so I know I could have done better,” she said with a sly laugh. “I was talking to the girls in the pit and they told me they’ve been training since 7th grade. When they asked when I started, they were all surprised when I told them just a month ago.”
Garcia was confident Fierro could do it.
“She’s a great athlete,” he said. “Everyone at school wanted to have a shot at working with her so track was always the last thing on her mind. Coach Sapien managed to talk to her and get her to give it a shot. Coach Sapien comes from a great program at Eastwood so he knows a thing or two about the shot put. He has passion for it and he did a great job with the time he had with her.”
Fierro acknowledges that there was more than a little luck in her earning a silver medal.
“It was little bit of beginner’s luck and a lot of work,” she said. “I wasn’t supposed to be here. At regionals, I had an allergic reaction to something and I wasn’t at my best and finished third. My coach told I might or might not make it as a wild card but I was happy either way because at least I tried, I didn’t regret anything my senior year. On the bus ride back, the coaches told me I was wild card and I was headed to state.”
Fierro said she was happy with the outcome of her final high school competition.
“This is the best feeling ever,” she said. “I’ve been competing in sports most of my life. In other sports you have to work as a team but in this one, it’s all individual so you’re working for yourself which it makes it more difficult and satisfying at the same time.”
Fourteen individual track and field athletes and one relay team will compete this weekend at the 2021 UIL State Championship at Mike Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas.
On Thursday, athletes from Class 3A and Class 4A will compete for state medals. Here is a breakdown of Thursday’s races:
Riverside senior Ian Vasquez (left) will compete in the high jump at the Class 4A UIL state championship and sophomore Angel Munoz (right) will compete in the 300-meter hurdles. Both events are Thursday.
Class 3A
3200-meter run: Angel Torres, Tornillo. Torres was a wild card selection with a time of 9:56.33, ranking him sixth at the state meet. Presido’s Marco Rey (9:42.71) is the top seed. This race begins at 9:15 a.m. Thursday.
1600-meter run: Angel Torres, Tornillo. Torres won Region 1-3A in a time of 4:25.67, which makes him the No. 1 seed entering the race. The state championship race begins at 6:50 p.m. Thursday.
Shot put: Lizbeth Fierro, Tornillo. Fierro was a wild card selection and comes in with a toss of 37 feet, 5.5 inches, ranking her sixth at the state meet. Jillian Howell, a junior at Bushland comes in as the top seed tossing a 39.9.75. This event begins 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
The Chapin 4X400 relay team of Sela Arevelo, Samahdi Foster, Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac, Kennedy McDonald are race at the UIL State Meet on Friday.
Class 4A
3200-meter run: Edwin Gomez, senior, San Elizario. Gomez was second at regionals in a time of 9:45.13. He is seeded third. Canyon senior Sam Ashley owns the top time heading into state with a 9:37.98. The race for gold starts at 8:45 a.m. Thursday.
1600-meter run: Edwin Gomez, senior, San Elizario. Gomez was the Region 1-4A champion clocking a 4:25.31. His time is the second fastest at the state meet behind Melissa senior Lucas Tauch’s 4:20.61. This race begins at 6:50 p.m. Thursday.
800-meter run: Three area athletes are competing in this one. Region 1-4A champion, Josh Gonzalez, senior, Mt. View and region runner up Christopher Moreno, sophomore, San Elizario come into the race with the top two times – 1:55.17 for Gonzalez and 1:55.27 for Moreno. Also racing is Edwin Gomez who ran a 1:56.74 to earn a wild card spot. This race is at 4:20 p.m. Thursday.
300-meter hurdles: Two athletes will also be competing for a state medal in this event. Clint senior Jesus Rocha won Region 1-4A with a time of 38.48 (third seed) and Riverside sophomore Angel Munoz was second in 38.80 (fourth seed). They will be chasing Kilgore sophomore Matthew Tyeskie who ran a 38.18 at his regional.
High jump: Ian Vasquez, senior Riverside. Vasquez was second at regionals with a jump of 6-feet, 3-inches. That mark ranks him seventhcoming into state. The field will be going after Cuero senior Davyon Williams who is the No. 1 seed with a leap of 6-8. This event begins at 8 a.m. Thursday.
On Friday, athletes from Class 5A will compete for state medals. Here is a breakdown of Friday’s races:
San Elizario senior Edwin Gomez will race for a medal in three events at the Class 4A UIL Track and Field Championship – 800, 1600 and 3200.
Class 5A
400 meters: Angie Lujan Maurrufo, senior, Parkland. Lujan Maurrufo was second at the Region 1-5A championship with a time of 55.82, placing her as the fourth seed at state. Fort Bend Marshall’s junior Cesley Williams is the top seed at 54.90. The race begins at 6 p.m. Friday.
800 meters: Angie Lujan Maurrufo, senior, Parkland. Lujan Maurrufo was the Region 1-5A champion clocking in a season-best 2:11.83. See comes into the state meet as a fourth seed. Boerne Champion junior Anastacia Gonzales is the first seed with a time of 2:09.45. This race is at 4:20 p.m. Friday.
300 hurdles: Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac, senior, Chapin. Roulhac was second at the Region 1-5A meet with a 45.18, ranking her eighth in the state. She will be chasing Lancaster senior Ashyiria Savage’s 43.06. The race begins at 6:35 p.m. Friday.
1,600 relay: Chapin’s 4X400 team of Sela Arevelo, Samahdi Foster, Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac, Kennedy McDonald was second at regionals in a time of 3:55.90 giving them the sixth seed at state. Fort Bend Hightower is the team to beat at 3:46.81. The relay is at 7:45 p.m. Friday.
Triple jump: Eireann Donohoe, senior, Chapin. Donohoe was second at regionals with a jump of 38 feet, 6.25 inches, good enough for the sixth seed. Burleson Centennial senior Savoria Anderson leaped 40-00.25 at her regional and is the top seed. This event is at 1:45 p.m. Friday.
Pole Vault: Austin Lara, senior, Del Valle. Lara advanced as a wild car selection after finishing third at regionals with a 14-feet 6-inch vault. His mark ties him with three other vaulters all hunting down Abilene Wylie senior Kylor Aguilar’s 16-3.
On Saturday, athletes from Class 6A will compete for state medals. Here is a breakdown of Saturday’s races:
Chapin senior Eireann Donohoe will compete in the Class 5A triple jump on Friday.
Class 6A
3200-meter run: A pair of runners qualified in this event. Eastlake junior Israel David was second at the Region 1-6A race finishing in 9:09.57 and Coronado sophomore Luis Pastor was third but received a wild card berth after his 9:12.03. David is the second seed and Pastor is the third seed. Haltom City Haltom senior Alfredo Reina Corona is the one seed with a 9:08.01. The race is at 8:45 a.m. Saturday.
1600-meter run: Israel David, junior, Eastlake. David was second at regionals with a time of 4:17.97, good enough for a seventh seed. He will be chasing Houston Strake Jesuit senior Anthony Gregory who comes in with a 4:10.86. This race is at 6:50 p.m. Saturday.
Triple jump: Caleb Stewart, senior, Americas. Stewart won the Region 1-6A championship with a jump of 46 feet, 3,25 inches. He enters the state finals qualifying in the eighth spot. Jaden Patterson, a senior from Humble Atascocita, turned in a 51-11. This event begins at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
There were seven city-best times and marks set at the regional championships.
Eastlake junior Israel David set season best times in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs racing to a4:17.97 and 9:09.57 to place second in both events in the Region 1-6A Regional championship.
Mt. View senior Joshua Gonzalez ran a 1:55.17 in the 800 to win the Region 1-4A championship.
Del Valle’s Austin Lara set a season bestin the pole vaultleaping14 feet, 6 inches; 3rd at the Region 1-5A championship, where he placed third.
Clint’s Jesus Rocha won the Region 1-4A championship in the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 38.48.
The Burges 1,600-meter relay team of Derrik Workman, Barry Cummings, Luis Holguin and Christian Rosales), finished sixth at the Region 1-5A championship in 3:22.60.
The El Dorado 800-meter relay team of Alan Martinez, Jeron Harden, Dezmond Gonzalez and Chris Harris raced to a 1:28.72 in the prelims of the Region 1-5A Championship.
This week’s schedule is as follows:
UIL Track and Field Championships
Class 3A and 4A: Thursday, May 6 at Mike Myers Stadium, University of Texas.
Class 5A: Friday, May 7 at Mike Myers Stadium, University of Texas.
Class 6A: Saturday, May 8 at Mike Myers Stadium, University of Texas.
Here the top 10 track and field male athletes in each track and field event after week 11:
Field Events
Shot put: 1,Alec Marenco, Burges, 52-feet, 6.75 inches; 2, Juan Alvarado, Socorro, 51-5.5; inches; 3, Efren Ruvalcaba, Eastwood, 49-4; 4, Jaime Loya, Riverside, 48-9; 5, Tony Holguin, San Elizario, 46-10; 6, Jacob Morales, Burges, 46-7.25; 7, Joshua Gonzalez, Burges, 46-5.5; 8, Tommy Cox, Jefferson, 46-1; 9, Caleb Emery, Eastlake, 45-10.5; 10, Gabriel Olivas, Pebble Hills, 45-8.
Discus: 1, Julian De Lucio Dorsett, Franklin, 147 feet, 6 inches; 2, Tony Holguin, San Elizario, 147-0; 3, Elijah Munoz, Andress, 146-3; 4, Andrew Duarte, Andress, 144-11; 5, Esteban Pena, Mt. View, 144-0; 6, Logan Villalva, Eastlake, 143-1.5; 7, Kole Pellerit, Pebble Hills, 141-4; 8, Armando Juarez, Clint, 140-8; 9, Juan Alvarado, Socorro, 139-8.5; 10, Aaron Esparza, Clint, 139-6.
High jump: 1, Ricardo Leyva, Horizon, 6 feet, 4 inches; 2, Ian Vasquez, Riverside, 6-3; 3, Dezmond Gonzalez, El Dorado, 6-2; 3, Evan Chisolm, Americas, 6-2; 5, Dominic Britton, Chapin, 6-0; 5, Armoni Loya, Chapin, 6-0; 5, Adrian Parra, Horizon, 6-0; 5, Michael Vela, Riverside, 6-0; 9, Will Perry, Austin, 5-10; 9, Jason Valdez, Eastwood, 5-10; 9, Demarion Crest Daniels, Parkland, 5-10; 9, Armando Reyes, Canutillo, 5-10; 9, Nathan Mercer, Del Valle, 5-10.
Pole vault: 1, Austin Lara, Del Valle, 14 feet, 6 inches; 2, Alejandro Gandara, Del Valle, 13-0; 2, Mark Romero, Del Valle, 13-0; 4, Mont Packer, Franklin, 12-6; 5, Luis Holguin, Burges, 12-0; 5, Irvin Vazquez, San Elizario, 12-0; 7, Daniel Larios, Coronado, 12-0; 8, Isaac Quinones, Franklin, 11-6; 8, Javier Robles, Bel Air, 11-6; 10, Connor Bryant, Montwood, 11-0; 10, Jose Diaz, Mt. View, 11-0; 10, Eric Lopez, Riverside, 11-00; 10, Andres Cardoza, San Elizario, 11-0; 10, Jorge Maese, San Elizario, 11-0; 10, Isais Banuelos, Mt. View, 11-0.
Long jump: 1, Caleb Stewart, Americas, 23-feet, 1.75 inches; 2, Jose Guardado, Riverside, 22-0.5; 3, Patrick Leak, Irvin, 21-10.5; 4, Misael Alarcon, San Elizario, 21-8.75; 5, Dezmond Gonzalez, El Dorado, 21-4.5; 6, Jy’monii Kennedy, Pebble Hills, 21-3; 7, George Garcia, Eastwood, 21-2.5; 8, Gael Ochoa, Pebble Hills, 21-2; 9, Darren Teagle, Franklin, 21-0.5; 10, Curtis Murrillo, Eastwood, 20-11.75.
There were nine city best times and distances set at the regional championships.
Franklin senior Eva Jess had season best times in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Region 1-6A Championship. The UT-signee raced to a 5:02.31 in the 1600 and 10:49.55 in the 3200 and finished sixth in the region in both events.
Parkland senior Angelina Lujan-Marrufo also had two city-best performances at the Region 1-5A Championships winning the 800 in 2:11.83 to win the region and racing to a 55.82 in the 400 to earn a silver medal and a trip to the UIL State Championship in both events.
Chapin’s Plea Jai Roulhac ran a city-best 45.18 in the 300-meter hurdles and placed second at the Region 1-5A Championship earning herself a trip to state.
El Dorado’s India Dowling-Green placed sixth in the region in the 200-meter run in a time of 25.28.
Chapin’s Eireann Donahoe leaped 38 feet, 6.25 inches in the triple jump and finished second at the Region 1-5A Championship to advance to the state meet.
The Chapin 1,600-meter relay team of Kennedy McDonald, Plea’ Jai’ Roulhac, Samahdi Foster and Sela Arevalo finished second at the Region 1-5A Championship in a time of 3:55.90 to advance to state.
The El Dorado 800-meter relay of India Dowling-Green, Cionna Calloway, Deborah Lozano and Tamia McLaughlin ran a 1:41.81 and finished fourth at the regional championship.
This week’s schedule is as follows:
UIL Track and Field Championships
Class 3A and 4A: Thursday, May 6 at Mike Myers Stadium, University of Texas.
Class 5A: Friday, May 7 at Mike Myers Stadium, University of Texas.
Class 6A: Saturday, May 8 at Mike Myers Stadium, University of Texas.
Here the top 10 track and field male athletes in each track and field event after Week 11:
Franklin senior Eva Jess had season best times in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Region 1-6A Championship.
The El Dorado 800-meter relay of India Dowling-Green, Cionna Calloway, Deborah Lozano and Tamia McLaughlin set a city-best 1:41.81 and finished fourth at the regional championship.
El Paso Running 