The search for a new coach to lead the Mission Hills Track and Field program has finally come to a close. With the position of head coach being absent since the start of the 2023-24 school year, finding a coach has been a top priority for the Grizzlies.
The new head coach is none other than our very own coach Hector Menchaca. Coach Menchaca is the distance specialist coach on the Track team; he is also the head coach of the Mission Hills Boys and Girls Cross Country teams, leading both to Valley League Champions. When asked about his hopes for the upcoming Track and Field season, Menchaca responded enthusiastically.
“I am excited to start a new role as the Head Coach. I know that the track team is now the largest group of student-athletes that have competed at Mission Hills in many years. Our hope (five returning coaches) is to build off last year’s success and as new members of the Avocado League [and] set the goal to win League for both Boys and Girls,” Menchaca said.
Sophomore Archer Chapman, an academic weapon whose main track events are the 100m and 200m, shared that he is optimistic about the upcoming season.
“My hope for the new environment is really just that the track team itself is able to have fun and enjoy the sport that we do,” Chapman said. “With our previous head coach, he was very strict and serious with us but also allowed for some fun and some excitement just so that we weren’t overworked… I would hope that our new head coach would [do] the same,” Chapman said.
Senior and Team Captain Christian Magana is also an academically gifted student on the team. Magana’s main events on the track are the 200m and 400m. When asked about the upcoming season, Christian elaborated that he is hopeful for his final season with Mission Hills.
“I hope that the tradition we have kept consistently over the last few years is going to be maintained with the new coach, Coach Menchaca, and that we’ll be just as successful as we were the last couple of years as well; Coach Coleman was one of the people that got us here with his coaching style,” Magana said. “I just want the best for the team and [to] not let this setback really affect and have a long-term impact on our season.”
With the Track and Field season officially starting, it will be interesting to see how the returning athletes adjust to Head Coach Menchaca. Our Track and Field Grizzlies have their very first home meet of the season on Mar. 7, competing against Madison High School, High Tech High NC, and our hometown rivals, San Marcos High School.
