Jan. 15, 2007

The 2007 University of Texas-Pan American men's track and field will not be able to rely on strength in numbers to achieve victory this season.

With the loss of key athletes in Westly Keating, Matt Clinton and Hector Gandara, the Broncs will have to remain healthy throughout the season and count on strong leadership to get them through a 2007 campaign that will be full of challenges and opportunities.

While the loss of Keating and Clinton certainly hurts a young team, it also opens the door for new leadership roles, which will be filled by All-American Will Littleton (Cuero, TX/Angelo State University), Sal Gonzalez (Los Fresnos, TX/Los Fresnos H.S.) and Luis Nava (La Joya, TX/La Joya H.S.). The work ethic and character these athletes exemplify will be exactly what the young, talented Bronc team will need to overcome their lack of depth.

"Losing Westly is a big impact. He led by example with his work ethic and by winning as much as he did. I think anytime you have an athlete that can go out there and compete at a high level, your whole team can gain confidence off of what one guy can do. Losing him definitely has a major impact on our team," said head men's track and field and cross country coach Ricky Vaughn.

Below is a look at the 2007 UTPA men's track and field program.

Distance
The only area with depth on UTPA's roster comes in its' distance runners. With a pool of talented local athletes, Vaughn believes his runners will bring out the best in each other in practice as well as competition.

Nava will lead a pack of young distance runners that have been tested limited at the collegiate level of track and field. An all-region performer during the 2005 cross country season, the UTPA sophomore captured his first track and field individual title in the 3,000-meter event at the Houston Invitational in 2006.

"Luis had a solid year last year before he had a few little injuries. He's in good shape right now, and he's definitely the one that I look for to step up and provide a leadership role. He had a good freshman year for us. He'll only be a sophomore, but he's been around enough to where he knows what to do," said Vaughn.

Sophomore J.J. Hernandez (San Juan, TX/PSJA North H.S.) showed tremendous improvement after competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2006 Finish Line USA Track and Field Junior Championships in Indianapolis, IN, this summer.

The UTPA sophomore gained valuable experience last season as a freshman, finishing in the top-10 in all five events he competed in as a rookie. During the indoor season, Hernandez finished with a trio of top-10 finishes, including a third-place finish in the 3,000 meters at the UH/Run Sport All-Comers Meet.

A pair of local standouts and former high school teammates, Omar Doria (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.) and Wally Gonzalez (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.), will be looked at to provide key roles as newcomers in the upcoming season.

Doria was one of the best in the Rio Grande Valley, capturing district titles in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races. At the regional competition, Doria earned the 3,200-meter crown and went on to finish eighth at the Texas State High School Track and Field Championships in his final season.

"Omar is a freshman that has had a lot of success in high school. He's very competitive and will put himself in the mix to try and have a successful season," said Vaughn.

Gonzalez is another key newcomer to the UTPA distance squad that has a successful prep career. The Rio Grande Valley product helped lead his team to capture both district and regional crowns in cross country at Edinburg North High School.

"Wally had a solid cross country season. What we've seen of him so far, I think he has the potential to have a great year. Along with Omar, he is very competitive and will put himself in the mix to have a successful season," added Vaughn.

Another freshman to keep an eye on this season is Gilroy Martinez (McAllen, TX/Nikki Rowe H.S.). The UTPA newcomer saw limited action during the 2006 cross country season, and while the team struggled, the experience gained has benefited the newly-added Bronc.

"Gilroy is another one of our freshmen that has potential, but he's going to have to learn how to compete at a different level," said Vaughn.

Many of the distance runners on the track and field team are young, but have seen the level of competition they will be going against in the upcoming season due to their experience during the 2006 cross country season. The young Bronc team struggled during the cross country season, but Vaughn feels the knowledge gained will be valuable for the track and field this season.

"The nature of the two sports is different, but they're going to be competing against the same people. It's a matter of them learning how to be competitive in a much tougher field against anything they've ever faced," said Vaughn.

The UTPA distance squad is rounded out by a group of young, talented runners in Alex Moncivais (Pharr, TX/Texas A&M-Kingsville), Alfredo Oviedo (Raymondville, TX/Raymondville H.S.), Angel Ramirez (Mission, TX/Waelder ISD), Danny Trejo (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg H.S.), David Trevino (Brownsville, TX/Hanna H.S.), Gil Castillo (Brownsville, TX/Hanna H.S.), Jorge Moncivais (San Juan, TX/PSJA North H.S.), Juan Davila (Donna, TX/Donna H.S.), Luis Hernandez (San Juan, TX/Northwood University) and Vidal Ruiz, Jr. (La Joya, TX/La Joya H.S.).

"Our team is made up of mostly sophomores and freshmen with a few juniors and seniors. Getting the freshmen used to going to a collegiate-style meet is going to be a challenge because the events are a little different and just how the meet is run is different along with the overall level of competition. They are back down to the bottom rung of the ladder, and they have to learn how to win again and be competitive," added Vaughn.

Sprints
The addition of assistant track and field coach Dennis Darling will prove to be an asset to the team. The former three-time Olympian was a member of the 4x400 relay squad that represented the Bahamas and helped his country qualify for the finals in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. The perfect role model for a young athlete, Darling will combine his sprinter savvy with his big brother attitude to lead by example in the upcoming season.

Darling will have his work cut out for him as the lack of depth on the team truly lies in the sprinting events.

Ruben Cantu (Falfurrias, TX/Falfurrias H.S.) returns for his second season with the squad after having mixed results in 2006. Cantu was plagued with injury, but managed to find some success both indoors and outdoors.

"Ruben struggled with injuries last season, and I think if we can keep him healthy then we're going to see some good results out of him. It's all a matter of keeping him healthy," added Vaughn.

Also returning, is 200- and 400-meter specialist, David Sanchez (Belize City, Belize/Edward P. York H.S.) who also suffered injuries during the 2006 season. Sanchez recorded his best finish at the Border Olympics where he finished fifth overall with a time of 50.53 in the 400-meter dash.

"David is the same way because he was plagued with injuries last year so he didn't really come around. Even this fall, he's had some injuries so if we can keep both of those guys healthy I think they are going to prove to be good sprinters for us," said Vaughn.

Armando Olguin (San Antonio, TX/Holy Cross H.S.) is coming off his best season yet as a Bronc when he recorded his best finish of the outdoor track and field season at the ASU/David Noble Relays where he placed 12th overall with a time of 50.43 in the 400-meter dash. Now in his junior season, Olguin will look to continue improving as a quarter-mile sprinter under the guidance of Darling.

"Armando is a hard worker, and he runs with a lot of heart. We're looking for him to continue to improve this season," said Vaughn.

Jumps
While the Broncs also lack depth in their jumps, it's an area of the team that deserves plenty of attention. With returning All-American in Will Littleton and local standout Sal Gonzalez, the Broncs will contend with the top athletes in Division I athletics in hopes of achieving their ultimate goal in making it to the national competition.

Littleton returns to the squad after having becoming just the second-ever member of the UTPA track and field program to earn All-American honors during the indoor season after he finished eighth overall in the high jump at the NCAA Division I National Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2006.

During his All-American season, He won three meets and broke three school records in a span of six days while capturing meet championships at George Mason University, University of Florida and LSU. Littleton cleared a program-record height of 7-2.50 on two occasions on his way to being selected as the UTPA Male Newcomer of the Year.

"Will's results speak for themselves, and he's one of the best in the nation. Last year, he only trained for half a year and accomplished a lot. He's in good shape right now, and we hope that with a full year of training under his belt he's going to be in the mix for the national title. I think he's that good, and has the ability to do that. He's one that we're really looking forward to seeing what we can do this year," said Vaughn.

Gonzalez is a local product that Bronc fans should keep their eye on during the 2007 season. After injuries cut his season short, Gonzalez will look to make an impact early while leading by example.

"Sal has improved every year, and if not for the unfortunate accident where he broke a pole, breaking his arm last year he was going to jump really well. He's been jumping well throughout the fall and practicing well," said Vaughn.

Throws
UTPA is in a rebuilding process in its throws after the loss of Clinton, but with a young, talented athlete in Scott Miller (Los Fresnos, TX/Los Fresnos H.S.); the Broncs will look to build a foundation for the future.

"We only have one thrower in Scott, which I'm very excited about. I think in a couple of years from now he's someone we're going to be talking about. He's going to take some lumps this year, but I think that's going to make him a better thrower in the long run. Scott has all the tools in height, and speed. It's just a matter of getting him stronger and teaching him technique," added Vaughn.

The Final Event
The Broncs have a tough challenge in front of them in the upcoming season with their lack of depth and will face an uphill battle with the loss of some of the best athletes in the programs history. UTPA will have to stay healthy through season to be successful while relying on a new group of leaders to show the young, talented athletes the ropes.

"Our goal every year is to get as many to nationals as possible. I think we've got four or five guys that can make it to the regional meet, and once you get to there, anything can happen. I believe that we can get five or six guys to regional meet and from there, maybe two or three can make it to nationals," added Vaughn.

With a group of young, promising athletes, the Broncs will look to strong leadership and teamwork to be successful in the upcoming season.

The 2007 men's track and field team won't rely so much on its strength in numbers in the locker room, but rather its strength in numbers on the stop watch and measuring tape to be victorious

UTPA Sports Information