2024 UIL State Track: Robstown's Nyomi Garcia caps career with 1,600 medal

AUSTIN — For years it felt like Robstown's Nyomi Garcia had the market cornered on heartbreak, near misses and poorly timed injuries.

But in the fall, she fulfilled the promise she displayed to coach Adolfo Gonzalez even before she was in high school when Garcia finally broke through to the UIL State Cross Country Meet, finishing in the Top 10 to earn her first state medal.

Garcia carried over that momentum into track season, and was fortunate to catch a break when she earned two wild card entries to the 2024 UIL State Track meet in the 800 and 1,600. Wild card entries are given to the best mark, clearance or time of all third-place finishers across the UIL's four regions.

On Thursday at Mike Myers Stadium, the Texas State signee made sure to capitalize on her good fortune. She finished fourth in the 800 early in the meet, and had one more chance to break through and end her career with a medal in the 1,600.

Staying with the lead pack for the first half of the race, she clung close to third and on the final lap made her move, overtaking Canyon Lake's Cadence Patterson with a 1:13 final 400 to sprint to a bronze medal in 5 minutes, 2.83 seconds — four seconds faster than her qualifying time.

"My coaches have put so much work into this," Garcia said, visibly emotional after coming off the medal stand. "I wanted to come out here and showcase all the hours and days that we spent working toward today.

"I knew I had to keep pushing. You can't give up and you can't get frustrated, and I knew that is what I had to do. At the end, I gave all I had."

Even with all the motivation and desire to finish her high school career with a highlight, she still needed a strong kick to get the job done and overtake Patterson.

"I knew I had to be stronger than I ever had before," Garcia said. "All my high school career I've always felt like the underdog. I have always felt like I underperformed. This year I wasn't going to let that happen again, so I came out here and made my coach and myself proud."

More: 2024 UIL State Track And Field Championships: Live Results

Other highlights

Kingsville's Jasiah Rivera came in with the best chance on paper to return to the Coastal Bend with multiple medals and he accomplished that feat, winning the Class 4A 300 hurdles shortly after being edged out in the 110 hurdles, taking second.

The best hurdler in South Texas made up for a tough day in the long jump (eighth place) with success in his marquee events.

"It was good," Rivera said. "Long jump didn't go so well, but I was feeling it in the 110s. I got edged out by someone else, but coming into the 300 it meant a lot.

"We had a plan, I executed it and I'm really happy about that."

While he was excited, the Brahmas junior said he has more to accomplish with one more crack at the UIL State meet.

• Ingleside's Nathan Edlin finished third in the Class 4A boys shot put with a throw of 55-6.75.

• Robstown's Trinity Anscombe was fourth in the Class 4A girls long jump.

• Tuloso-Midway's Jayden McCoy finished fourth in the Class 4A boys long jump after qualifying as a wild card.

• Santa Gertrudis Academy's Daniel Mendietta cleared 6-foot-4 to finish fourth in Class 3A boys high jump.

• Rockport-Fulton's Brody Karl finished off the medal stand with fourth place in the Class 4A boys pole vault (14-6).

• George West's Michelle Lindholm was fourth in the Class 3A 100 hurdles breaking 15 seconds (14.98).

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: 2024 UIL State Track: Robstown's Nyomi Garcia caps career with 1,600 medal