VICTORIA - Ana Esquivel couldn't hide the smile on her face as she crossed the finish line in second place at the District 30-2A Cross Country meet held at Riverside Park on October 28.
The junior harrier, who has suffered through a season plagued by a left knee injury and a right sprained foot, ran her fastest time of the season and led her team to a first place finish in the team standings. Bloomington scored just 25 points, followed by Taft (51), and Odem (53).
Esquivel was not alone as Bloomington placed all five of their best runners in the top ten. Eileen Martinez finished 3rd, Lacey Baladez was 5th, Brandee Garcia was 6th, and Katlin Rosas placed 9th. Natalie Cabrera finished 11th for the Lady Cats.
"A coach could never ask Ana to give any more than what she gives every Saturday on a cross country course," said Bloomington head coach Edgar Vander Stucken. "She never complains about the pain. She just tapes up her injuries, runs her hardest, and ices down her aches and pains after every practice and race."
Esquivel finished outside the top 10 in only one meet this season and will be making her third straight appearance at the Region IV Cross Country Championships on November 7 at Brooks City Base in San Antonio.
The girl's team title marks the first time since 2000 that a Bloomington girl's cross country team won the district championship. That team also won the Region IV team title en route to the state championships.
"The girls have been building on several years of improvement," Vander Stucken said. "Two years ago they were third in our district. Last year we were second. The girls had a goal of winning district this year. They accomplished that goal, and are already talking about shooting for a trip to the state championships next year."
The Bobcats, who finished third in the team standings behind Taft and Refugio, will be at the Region IV Championships for a 10th straight year. The were led by Miguel Baladez in 12th place and Richie Villa in 13th Place. The third-place finish marks the first time in five years the Bobcats did not win the district title.
"We obviously did not start the season with a goal of finishing third," Vander Stucken said. "But when a team is torn apart by failing grades, you have to feel good with what we accomplished."
Joining the Bobcat cross country program in Week 7 were Erik Guerrero, Sam Florez, and Fernando Acosta. Guerrero finished 18th in 21:28, Florez was 21st in 22:22, and Fernando Acosta placed 30th in 23:52.
"There was a lot of soul-searching buy the guys who stepped up to run for us late in the season," Vander Stucken said. "After their first race, our newest runners wondered what they had gotten themselves into. Three weeks later they knew what to expect and pushed themselves to give it their all. I could not have asked any more from them."
Varsity Girls
1 Erin Guzman Taft 11:25
2 Ana Esquivel Bloomington 11:34
3 Eileen Martinez Bloomington 11:37
4 Jesse Becker Odem 11:48
5 Lacey Baladez Bloomington 12:02
6 Brandee Garcia Bloomington 12:07
7 Juliane Ortiz Taft 12:14
8 Taylor Ray Odem 12:20
9 Kaitlin Rosas Bloomington 12:40
10 Monica Florez Taft 12:44
Varsity Girls Team Results
Bloomington, 25; Taft, 51; Odem, 53
Varsity Boys
1 Carlos Cordero Refugio 18:10
2 Lawrece Saldivar Taft 18:16
3 Ryan Garza Odem 18:52
4 Jhostan Padron Refugio 18:57
5 Jesse Vasquez Taft 19:00
6 Luis Cuevas Taft 19:06
7 Cristian Padron Refugio 19:21
8 Enrique Rivera Taft 19:28
9 Jonathan Hernandez Skidmore-Tynan 19:34
10 Erasmo Huerta Skidmore-Tynan 19:37
12 Mikey Baladez Bloomington 20:07
13 Richie Villa Bloomington 20:12
18 Erik Guerrero Bloomington 21:28
21 Sam Florez Bloomington 22:22
30 Fernando Acosta Bloomington 23:52
Varsity Boys Team Results
Taft, 35; Refugio, 39; Bloomington, 94