Domenic San Miguel, Canyon cross country, Jr.
On the course: The Canyon cross country dynasty is extremely strong and doesn’t look to be going anywhere for years to come. The Eagles claimed their unprecedented fourth straight UIL Class 4A state championship scoring 48 points at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock last Saturday.
Individually, it didn’t come without quite the dramatics. Canyon junior runner Domenic San Miguel was able to push himself in the final 800-meters of the 5K race to edge out La Feria’s Armando Morales by one-one thousandth of a second to win the individual Class 4A state championship. Miguel’s state-winning time of 15:08.2 was also a new Eagle record breaking Alex Niemec’s previous mark of 15:12.
San Miguel is the third straight Eagles runner to win a UIL state title in as many years. Lathan Lewter claimed the state championship last fall, and Niemiec won state in 2023.
Head coach Wes Kirton: “When I’m on the course, I go in and out of cheering for the guys, so I didn’t get to see Domenic’s finish until the replay. In a race like this, I always tell the guys that it’s about the last half of the race. Domenic had said all week, that if it came down to the end, he was going to do whatever it took to get the win and he did. Domenic just loves running like his team does and they’ve all put the work in since the summer. He has a bigger than life personality and runs relaxed. He’s a great teammate and does anything to make them better.”
San Miguel: “It’s amazing to win another state title with these guys. Everyone on the team is very close and it’s been such a fun season to be a part of. It was an exciting race, probably the best race I’ve ever been in. When I saw Armando (Morales) makes his move I just stuck with him and stayed smooth. We were both pushing and it was awesome to pull it out in the end.”
About San Miguel
Favorite band or musician: Kiss
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Eliud Kipchoge
Bet you didn’t know: He and his dad are massive Marvel movie fans.
Parents: Eric San Miguel and Amanda Natera.