UIL Track and Field State Meet 2024: El Paso athletes headed to Austin

Four El Paso high track and field athletes are headed to the UIL state meet in Austin. They will compete on Friday and Saturday.

Danny Torres, Eastwood, Class 6A

Torres has had a strong school year. He was fifth at the state cross country meet in November and was the El Paso Times' Cross Country Runner of The Year.

He will compete in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at state. His seed time in the 3,200 meters is 9:00.59 and his seed time in 1,600 is 4:11.55.

He earned the wild card for state in both events.

"I'm really proud of him and he's worked hard to get where he's at," Eastwood coach Mike McLain said. "He ran great at regionals and he's been so consistent the whole school year."

Adelynn Rodriguez, Eastwood, Class 6A

Rodriguez will be making her first trip to the state meet in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. She earned the wild card spot in both events at the Region I-6A meet in Arlington.

Her seed time in the 3,200 is 10:33.32 and her seed time in the 1,600 is 4:52.72.

"Preparation is going well," Rodriguez said. "The hard work paid off and it's great to see the potential that was there in me. The state meet is the best of the best and I'm going to enjoy it all. Two of us from Eastwood going makes it special."

"Adelynn has come a long way and she represents our program in a positive way and does all the things she needs to be successful," McLain said.

Juan Leal, Franklin, Class 6A

Leal has had a successful career at Franklin in the mile and two mile events, but took a shot at the 800 meters this year and it paid off with a trip to state.

He earned the trip with a second-place finish at the Region I-6A meet in Arlington.

His seed time for the state meet is 1:54.22.

"I ran a 1:59 in a training session earlier leading up to the season for the 800 and that gave me confidence," Leal said. "It's a new race for me, it took some adjustment. I'm excited for state. I've been to the state cross country meet and that helped me grow as a runner. We have great distance runners in the city and we've seen lots of development in that area of the sport."

Miles Westbrook, El Paso High, Class 5A

Westbrook also has had a successful school year. He helped lead the Tigers to the state cross country meet as a team and will compete in the 3,200 meters on Friday.

His seed time is 9:19.67 and he placed second at the Region I-5A meet to earn his state bid.

"Miles is really doing well and putting in the miles and is getting better all the time," EPHS coach Nathan Casillas said. "He's performed at a high level this entire school year."

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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 4 El Paso athletes headed to UIL Track and Field State Meet 2024