Broden signs with Houston

There’s a new challenge awaiting Brandon Broden at the University of Houston.

Hanna’s senior standout runner signed a scholarship agreement on Tuesday to compete for the Cougars beginning next school year. He will run cross country and the distance events in track for UH.

Before he focuses his efforts on running for the Cougars, Broden would first like to achieve a few goals in his final track season for the Golden Eagles.

He’d like to defend his District 32-5A titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, return to the regional meet and qualify for state for the first time in track. Last fall, Broden won the 32-5A cross-country meet, placed 10th at regionals and qualified for state.

Following the same path to state in track as he did in cross country would be a springboard to doing well at UH, Broden said at his Tuesday afternoon signing ceremony at Hanna.

“It’s a new horizon and a new level of competition,” said Broden of receiving the scholarship. “To get the chance to compete at that level (NCAA Division I) is just amazing.”

Jaime Vasquez, Broden’s longtime coach since second grade in private school and later in high school, said he always has believed that his standout runner would receive such an opportunity.

“Being with Brandon for so long, he’s like a son to me,” said Vasquez, who coached Broden in cross country at Hanna. “It’s one of those things that you never plan for, although we had an idea that he might get something like this (scholarship).

“We’re still surprised and thankful to God for this chance,” he added. “Like I told him, ‘The job is not done yet. You need to have a good track season (at Hanna), and then you’ll be ready to move on to (NCAA) Division I.’ We’re definitely very excited for him.”

Added Mike Garza, Broden’s track coach: “UH is a great school, so I’m real proud of Brandon. In the future, we’d like to have more athletes go there. My brother (Nicky) went to UH and competed in track, and he had a great experience there and met a lot of great athletes. They’ve got a fantastic coaching staff, so I think it’s going to be a very good experience for him.”

Brandon is the son of Bryan and Belinda Broden. Bryan Broden is a local financial advisor. He said his son has shown a lot of determination since a young age and has worked hard to become the best he could be.

“He’s trained very hard to develop the gift (of running) that God gave him,” Bryan Broden said. “We just thank God for Brandon and this scholarship. It’s a real honor just to be part of it and to watch him and enjoy the success that he’s had with him.”

Added Belinda Broden: “Brandon has worked very hard to get where’s he at right now. We’re very proud of him and very excited for him to continue on with his running. We want to thank all of his coaches and teachers for helping him move on to greater things in his life.”