Gold Standard: McHi girls sweep relays, win third straight regional title

SAN ANTONIO — There was a common theme across the Class 5A girls relays during the Region IV-5A & 6A Track and Field Championships.

Each time the first-place team crossed the finish line, it was clad in purple and gold with “McAllen” written across the uniform.

By the end of the meet, the Lady Bulldogs left little doubt they were top dogs on the track, as a sweep of the relay events helped McHi capture its third straight Region IV-5A team championship Saturday at Heroes Stadium.

McAllen High opened Saturday’s running finals with a statement in the 5A girls 4x100-meter relay, edging Leander Rouse for its first gold medal and state bid of the night.

The Bulldogs, consisting of Vanessa Rocha, Ava Barreda, Ecklyn Vaden and Sophia Flores, finished first in 47.90 seconds, with Rouse just behind in 47.97.

McHi wasn’t done yet, adding a second gold medal and another state bid in the 4x200 relay, beating Rouse once again for first.

The same group led the Bulldogs once again, clocking in at 1:40.55 for first. Rouse finished second in 1:41.20.

The Lady Bulldogs made it three for three in the final race of the night, racing to another regional title in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:51.65. The team consisted of Yaneli Rocha, Ava Barreda, Amelia Humphreys and Vanessa Rocha.

With the three relay teams leading the way, the Bulldogs finished with 78 points in the team standings, 25 points ahead of the competition for their third straight regional championship. Leander Rouse finished second with 53 points, while Smithson Valley placed third with 52.

The Bulldogs’ three state-qualifying relay teams were part of a group of 12 state qualifiers during the two-day event in San Antonio, with eight individuals and four relay teams punching their tickets to Austin.

Day 1 of the competition featured a pair of distance runners earning first-time bids in Harlingen South senior Jessica De Leon and Weslaco East sophomore Alexander Nava.

A three-hour weather delay didn’t faze De Leon, who clocked in at 10:50.66 for second in the 5A girls 3,200-meter run behind only Smithson Valley’s Lilly Koenig (10:47.82).

Nava’s race faced an even longer delay, with an original start time of 8 a.m. pushed back to 4 p.m. Still, Nava delivered on the oval, overtaking a pair of runners down the stretch to move from fourth to second in the 5A boys 3,200-meter run and secure his first career state berth.

Day 2 of the competition brought the field events and running finals, with 10 more Valley state qualifiers emerging.

Mercedes senior Isabella Parker and Sharyland Pioneer senior Angel Rodriguez both captured regional titles in their respective events, with Parker taking gold in the 5A girls high jump and Rodriguez winning the 5A boys long jump to secure state bids.

McAllen Memorial freshman Lylah Lopez-Castillo joined Parker on the podium in the 5A girls high jump, finishing second to secure a state appearance in Year 1.

The afternoon’s running events added to the RGV’s list of state qualifiers, beginning with Sharyland High senior Mauricio Garza.

The Rattlers’ track star earned the 5A boys 110-meter hurdles title in dramatic fashion after Alamo Heights’ Jack Holliman clipped the final hurdle after leading the entire way, opening the door for the senior.

Garza won the event in 14.33 seconds, with Leander freshman Jahmai Jarrett-McKenzie finishing second in 14.78.

Los Fresnos junior Diego Torres became the Valley’s lone Class 6A state qualifier during the meet after winning a tightly contested race in the boys 100-meter dash.

Torres clocked in at 10.66 for gold, with Buda Johnson’s Tim Mata finishing second in 10.68.

Sharyland High added a second regional champion in the penultimate race of the night, with senior Nathan Salinas battling past a loaded pack for first in the 5A boys 1,600-meter run.

Salinas crossed the finish line just .07 seconds ahead of Seguin’s Adrian Rangel for gold, while McAllen High’s Samuel Olivares narrowly missed a state berth by .3 seconds.

Salinas won the race in 4:17.38, followed by Rangel (4:17.45) and Olivares (4:17.75), respectively.

The Valley’s final state qualifier came from another McHi relay team, this time on the boys side.

Led by a pair of runners from last year’s state-medalist 4x400 relay team, the Bulldogs punched their ticket back to the big dance with a second-place finish in the same event to close out the meet.

McHi finished in 3:15.38 for silver, with Smithson Valley taking gold in 3:14.82. The Bulldogs’ team consisted of Gonzalo Gudino, Aidas Sakalys, Timothy Akindayomi and Jacksen Ahlman.

In total, eight individuals and four relay teams qualified for the 2026 state track meet in two weeks.

The 2026 UIL State Track and Field Championships are scheduled for May 14-16 at Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium in Austin.