Garcia, Terry looking to go the distance

McALLEN - Whether McAllen Memorial's Tricia Terry knew it all, there was an extra supporter watching her from the stands at last year's University Interscholastic League track & field meet in Austin.

Starla Garcia, a junior distance runner from PSJA North, watched proudly as Terry ran her way to a silver medal in the 1,600-meter run.

"I thought it was awesome," Garcia said. "I was there cheering on all the (Rio Grande) Valley athletes. I saw Tricia, Oscar (Garza) and Mishak (Rivas) win medals.

"I thought, ‘this is where I want to be next year competing.' Maybe I won't medal, but this is where I want to be, at state."

La Joya's Oscar Garza and Weslaco High's Mishak Rivas won state bronze in the 800-meter and 400-meter runs, respectively.

Garcia, a senior, will represent the Lady Raiders track & field team at the state meet in the 3,200-meter run next weekend in Austin right next to Terry, who is making her third straight trip up north.

"I will be nervous," Garcia said. "But it will be nice to have someone there who I know."

Garcia (11 minutes, 26.53 seconds) finished second at regionals in San Antonio in the 3,200 behind Terry (11.18.06) to punch her ticket to the state meet.

Garcia admits she will be a long shot next weekend but hopes to hit her personal record.

"You never know what is going to happen," Garcia said. "I want to get my PR into the teens. This is my senior year and I think this is a good way to go out, running your last meet at state."

Terry, who is only junior, will compete in both distance events. She came into the season as a Valley favorite to medal, perhaps even win gold, in the 1,600 and 3,200.

But her plans have been slowed by a foot injury Terry once thought to be season ending. She said she is only about 75 percent and takes Advil daily.

A telling sign that she was not at full strength was a second-place finish in the 1,600 at regionals, an event she won last year in a regional-record setting time.

"I had really high expectations," Terry said. "I am still going to go out there to win, but if it doesn't happen, I won't be as disappointed. But really I'm confident. I dropped 8 seconds between district and regionals, and I was just getting back into it."

As Terry has already proven this year after coming back from the foot injury, she can't be counted out.

"In the 2-mile, I haven't even looked at the other qualifying times," Terry said. "I just want to stay with them and see what happens.

"For the one-mile, I have a strategy. Hopefully, I can pull something off."

Peter Rasmussen covers high school track & field for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448.