EDINBURG – University of Texas Rio Grande Valley track and field senior Justinn Trevino can remember the first time she fell as she jumped a hurdle, in fact it was one of her favorite moments.
 
While most runners would rather forget the times they have fallen on the track, Trevino used that experience as motivation. She remembers the feeling of being in first place more than the fall and that taste of being in first place made her want it more.
 
"I remember being in first place and then coming up to the last hurdle I fell completely flat on my face," Trevino said. "It was so much fun because at that moment I was in first. Yes I know I fell but I was in first. Who doesn't like being in first? It was the first time I was in first place in anything. I think that was the most fun memory for me. I mean I fell but it motivated me more because I knew I could do it."
 
Trevino started competing in track and field when she was eight years old. The La Grulla native started off in long distance running but the short distance sprints is where everyone else put their focus on and Trevino wanted to be the fastest so she switched to sprints too.
 
Track was still a part of her life when she entered middle school and as she was still trying to figure out what she was going to compete in, it was her middle school coach who believed she could do any event she wanted.
 
It was that kind of faith that pushed Trevino to compete in as many events as possible.
 
"When I was in middle school, I had a coach tell me I could do any event that I wanted to do," Trevino said. "He was really impressed with me. Seeing how impressed he was and seeing how his eyes light up at seeing how much I was able to do made me want to compete in everything. I competed in all the jumps, sprints and all the distance events. It was fun for me."
 
In high school, Trevino continued to do as many events as possible. She had her focus in the middle distances as she competed in the 800 and 400-meter runs and 300-meter hurdles.
 
It was in her sophomore season that things changed because of a knee injury, which pushed her to work harder in the weight room. It helped her realize the correlation between building muscle and gaining speed on the track.
 
"I never lifted heavy in the weight room," Trevino said. "I never knew the correspondence of lifting heavy and being faster on the track until I got into high school. At 15 or 16 years old, I started lifting more and started squatting more. That helped me transition into more of a sprinter form rather than my distance form."
 
The transition was good for Trevino as she went on to win the district championship in the 100-meter hurdles twice during her time at La Grulla High School.
 
After high school, Trevino took a big leap in the next of her life and went to Ashford University in Iowa. The area was a bit different for Trevino while also a bit similar. She went from being close to the Rio Grande River to being on the banks of the Mississippi River so it made it a little bit like home.
 
The altitude was the big difference for Trevino as she struggled to get used to it. The altitude in Iowa is about 1,670 feet above sea level compared to 141 feet in La Grulla.
 
"I learned that the altitude and the environment you compete in play a big part in the kind of performance you turn in," Trevino said. "At the beginning, I was really far behind from everyone else. My breathing was bad and I felt I was so out of shape even though I worked out all summer. That is when I realized that altitude really does make a difference."
 
She spent just one year at Ashford before deciding to transfer to the University of Texas at Dallas. She didn't compete in track and field, as she was still recovering from a foot injury.
 
The transfer let her focus on her schoolwork but since she was recovering from an injury she wasn't able to stay in running shape. Trevino then transferred after one year of UT Dallas and returned to the Rio Grande Valley.
 
It turned out that Trevino couldn't compete due to the fact that she transferred so many times so she had to sit out her junior season. It did give her some time to get back into shape, which she says was harder than she thought.
 
"It was actually really difficult," Trevino said. "I didn't think it was going to be that bad since I had worked out with the team. I was trying to be in competition mode but it was a big difference."
 
When Trevino talked with UTRGV head coach Xavier Richardson, the question about what events she wanted to compete in came up. So she listed off the events she competed in and coach Richardson thought it would be best if she competed in the pentathlon and heptathlon.
 
The heptathlon consists of 100-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, 800-meter run, long jump, high jump, javelin and shot put while the pentathlon consists of 60-meter hurdles, 800-meter run, long jump, high jump and shot put. Heading into her first meet she was quite nervous.
 
"Going into my first competition at the indoor meet was a big difference," Trevino said. "I had been out of competition for two years and I asked myself what was I doing here. I was so nervous. You would think after competing in track since I was eight years old I wouldn't be as nervous but my heart was still racing. I still had butterflies in my stomach."
 
She posted a 15^th place finish in the pentathlon at the WAC Indoor Championships while finishing in 11^th in the heptathlon at the WAC Outdoor Championships. She was able to be a contributor to the team as she garnered points in those events, in which the team hadn't been able to in years past.
 
Trevino is a pre medical biology major with a minor in chemistry. After graduation, she wants to take a year off and do some traveling so that she can do some research. She also wants be able to help people as she prepares to take the MCAT for medical school.
 
"I really want to travel to Europe," Trevino said. "People tell me that I should go to Paris or to Rome but I really want to go to those little towns that don't have a lot of medical attention. I want to be able to see what kind of things they use there and see if I can help in any way."
 
Her ultimate goal is to become a neurosurgeon. It is something that really hits close to home for Trevino. Her sister's grandmother, who welcomed Trevino as one of her own, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
 
She has fond memories of visiting her every weekend and then she remembers that one day everything started to change. It happened at a young age so she didn't quite understand and it was a difficult thing for Trevino.
 
"I remember all these memories growing up and being with them," Trevino said. "We would visit them every weekend and then suddenly it stopped. I was so young and didn't understand why. It was so hard to go visit her and her being in a state where she didn't recognize us. It hit us really hard."
 
Trevino started to do research on Alzheimer's to figure out what it was and how it all works. As she learned more and more about it, her interest into how the human brain works grew, hence the goal of becoming a neurosurgeon.
 
Upon graduation, there will be things about the college life that Trevino will miss. After sitting out a year when she went to UT Dallas, she realized how much she loved track and it will be one of the biggest things she will miss.
 
She has grown to love her team and knows how big of a role they have played for her over the last few years. She hopes that she can pass along some advice to those that still have some time left in college.
 
"My advice would be to enjoy it," Trevino said. "Don't take anything for granted and remember everything. Try not to forget anything about these years because you are going to miss it at the end of it all. When it is over, officially over, and there is no season to come back to, it will hit you, so enjoy it now."

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