San Benito's Adame aims to make most of trip to state

SAN BENITO - Cinthia Adame wouldn't call it anxiety.

It's not nerves. Or fear.

That weird feeling the San Benito graduate is feeling is likely excitement.

For the past four years, Adame has been one of the premiere runners in the Valley.

Since she was a freshman, Adame has been among the top 800-meter runners in South Texas.

She's been to regional every year and won district three times with the exception of her sophomore campaign.

But it's the preparation for this final race that has Adame feeling a little...excited.

Adame won gold in the 800 at the Region IV-5A track meet last month and qualified for the UIL State Track and Field Championships this weekend for the first time in her career.

She also became the first San Benito athlete to qualify for the state meet in 17 years since Jessica Garcia went in 1992 in the 800 as well.

It's no wonder Adame is charged up heading into the big meet.

"It's very thrilling," Adame said. "The whole thing. It just goes to show that all the hard work paid off. It's all very exciting."

Adame burst onto the track scene as a freshman running against and competing against some of the better runners at that time like Weslaco's Jena Cuellar or Harlingen's Claudia Duncan.

Winning district as a freshman was a bit of an upset. Duncan was a senior and a three-time champ in the 800.

But Adame quickly established herself as a serious contender in the 800 for the next few years.

And Adame was one of the best.

Despite finishing in second as a sophomore to Weslaco's Cuellar, Adame qualified for regionals again. She didn't reach the finals in San Antonio the first two years.

Last year, Adame won the district championship again and finished fourth at regionals.

Adame captured her third district title in Brownsville in April and won the regional title too last month in a time of 2:15.20.

Adame ran a personal best of 2:14.68 at the Meet of Champions in March at Sams Stadium in Brownsville.

"I'm very proud of myself," Adame said. "It's going to be a big race...the biggest race of my life."

Lucky for Adame, her coach Danny De La Rosa knows a little something about running in the big stage.

De La Rosa ran for the Greyhounds from 1994-97. As a senior in 1997, De La Rosa won gold at state in one of the greatest races ever run by a Valley athlete.

De La Rosa remains the last San Benito athlete to medal at a state meet and he thinks Adame could be next.

"This is a big deal for out girls track program," said De La Rosa, in his first year as girls head coach. "I hope this continues. It takes a really special athlete to get there and Cinthia does all the hard work and is dedicated.

"I don't really talk about my race. But I do tell her about the little thing she'll experience. We're going to watch video tomorrow (today) and maybe I'll show her the video of my race."

Either way, Adame seems to be in the right state of mind heading into the state meet this weekend.

"Her confidence is high right now," De La Rosa said. "She'll get after it and she has a really good shot for a medal."

Eladio Jaimez covers track and field for Valley Freedom Newspapers