Matilda Torres’ Azarel Barrios-Meza earned Central Section championship rings in cross country and track, and will now head to Hayward to run for CSU East Bay.
He signed to run cross country and track, mostly the longer events.
“My coach told me I will be competing in the 8K and 10K run,” he said. “I will be doing the same events in track, including the 5K.They did mention steeplechase. I love cross country more. I wasn’t the best at it, but I liked it the best.”
Barrios-Meza earned a 4.0 grade point average at Torres. He plans to major in civil engineering.
“I want to try to make my way to Irvine and work for Disneyland,” he said.
Barrios-Meza chose East Bay over CSU Monterey Bay, St. Mary’s, Friends University, Cal Poly Humboldt and San Diego-Mesa.
“It was the environment,” Barrios-Meza said of his choice. “It was a lot colder there, which I’m a big fan of. I had 13 years of this Madera weather, and it feels better over there.”
East Bay reached out to Barrios-Meza, but lost contact with him.
“In January, they reached out me. That’s when the whole conversation started, and they saw me for the first time,” he said.
Although he wasn’t one of the top runners for the cross country team, he did provide depth and was an important part of the team.
“There were definitely a lot of ups and downs in my career,” he said. “I had multiple injury problems. I had a heart problem my sophomore year when it was beating twice as fast, sometimes. I also had a lung problem, which was too big for my ribcage, so it was flipping inwards. I had to deal with those problems, and I couldn’t run for a few months. I was able to pass by those challenges by doing a core workout or working out on my own without running to maintain some kind of fitness.”
However, Barrios-Meza closed out his career by helping the Toros to the Div. II Central Section track championship.
“This year was a blast,” he said. “I feel like I improved. My times dropped a lot. It was a big time coming up this year. I am grateful for what I’ve done.”
Barrios-Meza is one of four Torres runners to sign to a four-year college. He says running with them set a standard that led him to this point.
“I was making sure I could keep up,” he said. “It was hard at some points, especially at practice when my coaches wanted me to stay with these top runners. We found a way. They definitely set the tone. Once I realized I was capable of running next to them, there was going to be a lot of opportunities. It helped me push through.”
He was a part of the Torres cross country legacy that won four straight Central Section titles.
“It’s a privilege I don’t take for granted,” Barrios-Meza said. “It shows how good the Torres cross country and track program is. They push us to be the best. I’m grateful for myself and for those that push me. I’m not here running for college if it wasn’t for them.”
What started as an activity to get him in shape for soccer turned into something that will pay for college. Although he does regret not playing soccer at Torres, he says he may not be where he is if he did.
“I played soccer for six years before high school. I never saw running becoming a thing,” Barrios-Meza said. “There was always a thought in the back of my mind if I was good enough. I wasn’t saying it until junior year. That was when the thought of being an athlete for college started. My senior year was when I wanted to lock it down and get that scholarship.”
Barrios-Meza officially signed his National Letter of Intent at a signing day at Torres. However, he doesn’t expect to finish his career at the Div. II school.
“I felt a relief to sign. All of the hard work over the past couple of years, and to finish it off by signing on a paper was a huge relief for me and my family,” he said.
“There may be a time where I might want to move up a division. I am honored to sign. My college teammates I met remind me of my cousins, which was a big part of my life. It felt like a family out there.”
However, by signing, Barrios-Meza is done stressing about where he will be going in the fall.
“I’m definitely grateful where I’m going the next four years. I am grateful for the opportunity they gave me,” he said. “It’s confirmation that there’s no more stressing where I’m going or what is going to be needed in the future.”
Barrios-Meza will be a couple of hours away from home, so his family was okay with the choice.
“I think my mom is going to miss me more, especially with me being the youngest,” he said. “For my dad and brother, they care, but they are happy to see what I’ve done and know I’m doing something with my life. My dad asked how much money they had to pay, and my mom cried. She was very happy.”
Barrios-Meza planned to keep training over the summer, but also having as much fun as possible.
“I love doing trails by walking them or spending time with my cousins and brother. All seven of us go out and have fun, either playing golf or having a good time,” he said.