Hanna's Pineda finishes first season at Hawaii-Hilo
Brownsville Hanna graduate Eileen Pineda (5-foot-6, sophomore) completed her first season playing basketball at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, an NCAA Division II program. A transfer from McLennan Community College, Pineda appeared in 18 games for the Vulvans, who went 15-9 and finished fifth in the Pacific West Conference with a 5-6 record. The former All-Valley player averaged 9.6 points while playing 18.8 minutes per game.
Baseball
Henry Garcia (6-0, 155) is playing as a true freshman at Northeast Texas Community College located in Mt. Pleasant. The Brownsville Porter grad is a left-handed pitcher. The Eagles today play host Panola College.
Harlingen South's Logan Brown (5-8, 183) continues to see more playing time during his sophomore season at Texas Tech. The outfielder has appeared in 16 games. He has three hits and one RBI in 17 at-bats.
Football
At the recent Texas State football banquet, Weslaco High's Mishak Rivas (5-7, 160) was named the Outstanding Freshman of the Year by the Bobcats. The event honored the program's top performers for the 2008 season. Texas State finished ranked No. 22 nationally by The Sports Network and No. 23 by the FCS Coaches Association.
Golf
Sharyland alum Dustin Garza (5-11, junior) tied for 57th at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate. Wichita State finished 14th in the event as Garza fired a three-day total of 227. The Shockers will be competing at the Shocker Classic on March 30 and 31 and then travel to the Aggie Invitational in College Station on April 18 and 19.
Swimming
Guilford College concluded the 2008-09 season with a sixth-place finish at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships in Radford, Va. The Quakers placed ninth in the Atlantic States Championships, which ran concurrent to the ODAC meet. McAllen Memorial's Justine Merritt (5-3, junior) placed ninth in the 100 breaststroke in a season-best 1 minute, 17.91 seconds, which was the team's best individual result.
Merritt also swam the leadoff leg on the 400-yard freestyle relay that recorded a season-low time of 4:21.14, good for a ninth-place finish. She also placed 11th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:49.31. Her time of 2:46.74 in a preliminary heat marked the Quakers' fastest of the season and second-fastest in school history.
Track & Field
Jiovanna Martinez, a sophomore at Texas State, placed second in both the shot put and weight throw at the Trinity Tiger Relays. The PSJA North alum will be competing Saturday at the UT Invitational in Austin.
Pikey Rodriguez is a longtime sportswriter in the Rio Grande Valley. His column runs every Tuesday. To report college news, call (956) 683-4450 or send an e-mail to wbaker@themonitor.com.
