By Brian Argabright
There’s something special about Del Rio’s Ozlynn Urias.
The 18-year-old daughter of Abel and Susan Urias, Ozlynn, who is better known as “Ozzy” to the people who know her, is set to race in her final cross-country meet for Del Rio High School Tuesday at the Class 6A Girls State Meet at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.
A senior, Urias caps a tremendous career in cross-country with her third trip to the state meet in four years. Her appearance also marks the 16th straight year Del Rio will be represented at the final UIL-sanctioned meet of the year.
Urias said she wouldn’t be where she is now if it wasn’t for her teammates.
“Whenever I competed as part of a team it felt less nerve wracking. I had people with me and they were always there to push me and to help get me where I am right now. Even though they won’t be on this trip with me, I know I always have their support and I know I couldn’t have done it without them,” Urias said.
Urias qualified for the state meet each of her high school years except for her sophomore year. As a freshman, she was part of a team that qualified for state by finishing third at the regional meet. Her sophomore year she missed out on state by about six seconds, but bounced back to qualify as an individual in her junior and senior years.
This year, it was COVID-19 that proved to be a big issue for her and her teammates as it altered the team’s training regimen during the summer.
“Usually during the summer we get to cross train, go biking, swimming, weight lifting, but all of that was harder to do this year, especially because everyone was scared and staying home,” Urias said. “I felt I didn’t get as much training in as I should have. I know that I could have gotten a lot more things done. I was looking forward to hitting new (personal records) in the track season this past spring, but that ended too early. It was just tough because I didn’t know what I was allowed to do and where to go. Coach Perez would send us workouts and we would send those in so she could see we were doing it on our own.”
Head cross-country coach Vicky Perez has seen Urias grow into a shining example for the program and said it’s not just her physical abilities that set her apart, but her mindset as well.
“With Ozzy, I think it’s just her mindset. She’s tough. It’s what I try to coach my kids. For some of them it’s very difficult to learn and go to that place, but for her as soon as she steps on the line she’s ready to go,” Perez said. “I always knew she was someone who wouldn’t struggle with that mindset during the race. She’s one of the few runners I have had who has the mental capacity as well as the physical capacity and I know she always wants to do her very best.”
