By Moses Leos III

For the second year in a row, Hays High athlete Esmi Fuentes finished in the top half of competitors at the UIL state cross country meet. 

Saturday saw Fuentes finish with a time of 19:16.68 in the 6A girls competition at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. Her 36th place finish out of 148 total runners was the culmination of a goal she set for herself at the start of the year. 

“It means a lot that I’m here [at state] and competing again,” Fuentes said. “This is my second year (competing at state). I worked hard for it.” 

For Fuentes, Saturday’s finish was an improvement over her inaugural state meet appearance in 2013. She competed in the UIL 4A state meet in 2013, where she finished in 41st place. 

Fuentes sought to improve on that mark and set the goal of finishing in the top 30. 

To accomplish that goal, Fuentes said she worked hard over the summer. 

She also had to navigate through a higher level of competition during the season in the 6A ranks. But Fuentes fought through, eventually finishing second overall at the 14-6A cross country championships on Oct. 17. 

She followed that performance by finishing 10th at the UIL Region IV cross country meet in Grand Prairie on Nov. 1. 

It culminated in her performance in Round Rock on Saturday, where Fuentes shot out of the gates at the opening gun. 

Fuentes kept up with the lead runners in the first 100 yards of the race. She maintained the pace of the lead pack following the first major turn. 

For Fuentes, keeping up with Region IV champion and Rouse High runner Maddie Boreman was her goal. 

“I wanted to stay with Maddie … but I lost her halfway,” Fuentes said. “I knew that I needed to fight until the end. Wasn’t going to give up that easily.”

However, Fuentes soon found herself isolated from the main pack. She said it was a challenge, as she couldn’t find many runners to keep pace with. 

But she continued to battle, using her skills and expertise to get back into the race until it’s completion. 

“I knew I had to pick it up,” she said. “I knew I could pick off runners slowly, little by little.” 

Having nearly reached the top 30 at state, Fuentes said she now aims to “put more miles” to reach that mark – a trait she hopes can help her continue her cross country career into college. 

“I know that running in college is my main goal,” Fuentes said. “That’s why I push myself every day.”