ODESSA – Legacy junior Leah Acosta mentioned it was her greatest day of throwing in her highschool profession.
Acosta, a 2021 state meet qualifier, set not one private report, however two private data through the 78th annual West Texas Relays monitor & meet, Thursday at Ratliff Stadium.
Acosta first set a PR with a heave of 42 toes, 1 inch to win the ladies shot put after which adopted with a PR of 150-3 to say the gold within the ladies discus. Acosta set the West Texas Relays meet report within the discus, eclipsing the mark of 142-7 beforehand executed in 2019 by her good friend Paige Low, a 2020 Lee grad who’s now competing on the College of Oklahoma.
“Paige is certainly an individual I look as much as,” Acosta mentioned. “I discuss to her every single day. She’s positively an individual I wish to be like.”
Acosta’s mark within the discus is the fifth-best within the state this yr in keeping with the web site athletic.web, whereas her distance within the shot put ranks 12th within the state amongst all private and non-private college classifications.
“I really feel very ready,” Acosta mentioned. “We’re doing good. I really feel good with my work. I do know if I hold working at it, it may solely go up from right here.”
Acosta has made essentially the most strides within the shot put of late, the occasion that she barely missed qualifying for state in final yr.
Final week, Acosta set a PR with a 41-10 within the shot through the Monahans Sandhills Relays.
She carried that momentum into Thursday’s West Texas Relays, as all six of her throws had been 40-6 ¾ and higher.
“It’s positively extra of belief the method, belief what I do at follow,” Acosta mentioned. “The extra constant that it will get, the higher it will get.”
Added Legacy ladies monitor coach Frank Maldonado: “Her shot put was actual constant. It’s getting higher. There’s been some tweaks and stuff that she’s been engaged on since June. Sure, it’s coming collectively for her just a little bit. I used to be happy with her.”
Throughout her sophomore season, Acosta loved a breakout yr, one which led her to the 2021 UIL state meet the place she completed sixth within the Class 6A ladies discus state championship.
That efficiency has helped put Acosta on the radar of faculty applications corresponding to Stanford, Duke, Military, Indiana, West Virginia and Texas State.
In Thursday’s discus, Acosta beat her earlier greatest mark of 149-8 set on the Tall Metropolis Relays within the opening meet of the season in February.
Regardless of setting a meet report, Acosta didn’t assume her discus throws as an entire had been as constant as her shot put makes an attempt.
“My efficiency might have positively been higher,” Acosta mentioned. “However it’s a PR on the finish of day. It’s good. Consistency is essential and immediately wasn’t very constant.”
Acosta’s teammates additionally shined through the meet, as senior Yani Flores positioned second with a PR of 39-0 ½ within the shot placed on her ultimate strive. Her earlier greatest was a 37-9.
“Like my final throw, my 39, I used to be identical to, let’s simply go for it,” Flores mentioned. “Even when I foul it, let’s simply go and it labored. It was a 39-0 ½.”
Legacy’s Sydnee Patman additionally reached the rostrum by ending third (104-3) within the ladies discus.
“We positively push ourselves throughout follow,” Acosta mentioned of her throwing teammates. “We push one another and we maintain one another accountable. It’s good to see all of us all doing effectively as a result of that is what we work for every single day.”
Acosta and the Girl Rebels have three extra meets earlier than the District 2-6A meet, April 13-14 in Abilene.
Observe Christopher on Twitter: @chris_MRTsports