McHi's Sanchez hoping for top eight at state

McALLEN --- When it comes to the classroom, Leah Sanchez strives to be the best at McAllen High, her English teacher and swimming coach Melissa Segovia said.

When it comes to the piano, the 15-year-old is known to be just as dedicated. And, of course, that leaves us with swimming, where for the second year in a row Sanchez will be the lone representative of McHi at the state meet Feb. 22 and 23 in Austin.

“She’s determined,” Segovia said. “If she gets something in her mind, she’s determined to be the best at it. That’s what makes her so special. She gives it everything she has.”

Sanchez’s time of 1:06.60 blew away the field at this past weekend’s Class 5A regional meet in Brownsville, where she won the 100-yard breaststroke by more than 6 seconds.

Shredding the field at regionals, however, isn’t the No. 1 goal for Sanchez.

“I want to place in the top eight at state. That’s what I’ve been hoping for,” said Sanchez, who placed 16th in the finals during her first trip to state last season. “And I feel like I’ve improved enough to have a shot at that this year.”

Sanchez finished the state meet last year with a time just above 1:09, although she said during the following weeks she turned in a 1:07 during a club event. Her time at the regional meet was her fastest of the season. Segovia also points out that Sanchez turned in a 1:07 to win the always stout Corpus Christi ISD Zone Meet in November.

“I’m just trying to keep bringing my time down,” Sanchez said.

That’s what Segovia has been keeping an eye on. And just by doing the simple math, the second-year McHi coach realizes that a gold medal may be in the future of Sanchez.

The all-time best mark recorded in the 100-yard breaststroke at the state meet came in 2005 when San Antonio Churchill’s Annie Chandler notched a 1:00.72.

“You figure three seconds this year, and then figure three more the next two years. It adds up,” Segovia said. “She’s been swimming since she was 8. I can definitely foresee a state championship in her future. She’s that dedicated and that talented.”

Wade Baker is Sports Editor of The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4450.