Alice Lady Coyotes celebrate Garcia, Martinez advancing to regionals

Alice High School’s spring surge stayed alive behind two of its most recognizable names, Aubrey Garcia and Alizayah Martinez, whose area-meet performances sent the Lady Coyotes on to regionals and kept a postseason run going for a school that measures pride in more than wins and losses. In Jim Wells County, that matters. It means Alice has athletes carrying the school’s name into the next round of UIL competition and giving younger Coyotes something visible to chase.

The area meet was held April 16 at Joe R. Sanchez Stadium in Rio Grande City as part of the UIL Area 29/30-5A championships, with top finishers advancing out of the area round and deeper into the playoff ladder. Alice ISD had already signaled the momentum on April 10, congratulating district athletes who earned spots at the upcoming Class 5A Area Track & Field Meet after strong work at Gregory-Portland High School.

Garcia’s track résumé explains why her name keeps rising in Alice athletics. Athletic.net lists the Alice High sophomore’s 2025 outdoor bests at 2:27.25 in the 800 meters, 5:13.33 in the 1600 meters and 11:34.95 in the 3200 meters, with a 2024 3200-meter best of 11:32.82. An earlier Alice Echo-News Journal sports archive also noted that Garcia broke an 11-year-old school track-and-field record at the Laredo Border Olympics, giving her regional advancement the feel of a season built on steady progress rather than a single hot day.

Martinez’s regional berth adds to the sense that Alice is developing postseason depth, not just leaning on one standout. The Lady Coyotes’ achievement is meaningful because it keeps the school represented in both track and field at a stage where a deeper run would put Alice closer to the UIL state meet and give the district a chance to turn regional success into another citywide point of pride.

What’s next is clear: UIL’s Conference 5A Region IV track and field meet is set for May 1-2 at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio. Alice families who want to back Garcia and Martinez can make the trip, and Alice High School Athletics says the community can also support its athletes by showing good sportsmanship and positive behavior at school events. This is not an isolated breakthrough for Alice, either. The Lady Coyotes have reached regional track stages before, and the program has already produced record-breaking and state-bound runners in recent seasons, which makes this latest advancement part of a stronger tradition rather than a one-off.