See more photos from the state cross country meet here.
By Moses Leos III
Intermittent rain and muddy conditions did little to stop Hays High’s Esmi Fuentes from successfully seeing a goal come to fruition Saturday.
Overcoming a stout field, along with a deteriorating course, allowed Fuentes to post a 20th place overall finish at the UIL 6A Girls State Cross Country meet.
For Fuentes, her highest finish in what is her last trip to a UIL state cross country meet brought a heightened sense of pride.
“I’m definitely proud of myself, the work that I put into it is finally paying off,” Fuentes said. “It’s my last race and I wanted to put everything into it.”
Getting ready for Saturday’s state meet started before Fuentes hit the course. Hays head cross country coach Traci Hightower said she used humor to help Fuentes dispel the nerves. She mentioned Fuentes’ upbringing, how growing up with brothers “prepares you for moments like this.”
“If you can imagine how siblings are, and how rough brothers are,” Hightower said.
She also talked to Fuentes about the need to block out the adverse conditions. Early rains, mixed with six previous races on the course, rendered it a muddy, slippery bog.
“I told her the kids that are going to perform well are the ones that can block out all of this mud, wind and weather,” she said. “I told her she could do that.”
Fuentes said she did her best not to let the weather affect her, as she wasn’t the only one who had to deal with it.
But from the opening gun, Fuentes’ goal was to get a strong start to match pace with the lead pack. She said not doing so could have meant being stuck and forcing her to traverse her way through the field.
“I was definitely trying to push girls everywhere on the starting line,” Fuentes said. “I felt really bad that I was pushing them, but you have to do what you have to do at the end of the day.”
On the course, Fuentes and other runners made their way through a course that was wet and muddy.
Fuentes said she had only experienced such conditions on one occasion, but that Saturday’s was was the most competitive. Visibility was also a challenge, as Fuentes said the “girls in front of you were throwing mud everywhere.”
“There were girls slipping and you had to jump over them, and trying to go over mud puddles because everyone was slipping all over them,” Fuentes said.
Hightower lauded Fuentes’ run, primarily her ability to attack the course and get through the “low muddy spots.” In addition, she said Fuentes was able to keep her footing, finding the dry spots and avoiding slipping on turns.
Attaining her goal of finishing in the top 20 was a landmark moment for Fuentes. She said determination, even when she felt like giving up, pushed her to reach for her goal.
Hightower, who took over the program in 2014, said she has seen Fuentes mature as a runner, which she hopes younger athletes will emulate in the future.
“She was a little girl with big dreams. Sometimes, kids start off dreaming big, but fizzle off,” Hightower said. “But she’s the kid that dreamed and kept working and worked more.”
