Laredo has added a distinctive milestone to its rich history annals—a national sports title no local team had accomplished in the city’s 250-year history until now, thanks to the Laredo Community College Palomino men’s tennis team and its enduring quest to bring home this special glory.
The Palomino team affirmed its year-long No. 1 status among junior/community colleges after winning the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I championship on Friday, May 20, in Plano.
At the end of the five-day tournament, the Palominos compiled 49 points to snare the national title from Tyler Junior College, which had held the honor for the last four years. Tyler finished a distant second with 41 points, followed by Collin County Community College with 40 points.
As simple as the victory might have seemed, the Palominos’ journey to nationals was anything but easy after experiencing a challenging year to maintain their top ranking and to bring home the first national sports title in the city’s history.
LCC began the year with a high mark when Palomino freshman Alex Gonzalez won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Tournament after defeating his second place opponent, teammate Henry Estrella. The first-time ITA win for LCC placed the team at the top of the national rankings.
In the spring, LCC began with some major wins, but the team was soon plagued with many injuries.
“Our team began to struggle to win the next matches and even lost some games that we should have won,” Head Coach Jaime Donjuan said.
The Palominos finished the season with a dismal 3-7 mark, but the team got out of its slump in time to win the Southwest Junior College championship in April for the second year in a row.
LCC moved one step closer to nationals after dethroning Tyler at the regional tournament last month. This was the first occasion LCC beat Tyler during Donjuan’s eight years as head coach.
LCC entered the national competition ranked firmly in first with returning sophomore Alex Ortega, who won the top flight in last year’s national tournament. LCC finished third last year.
This year, four Palominos won singles in their respective flights, including Gonzalez, 1; Ortega, 2; Henry Estrella, 3; and Daniel Pazos, 4.
In doubles, Gonzalez and Ortega won the top flight, while Thomas Ollivier and Pazos won the third flight.
Coach Donjuan also earned top coaching honors by receiving the Max Grubbs Coach of the Year award.
“This is the first time Laredo has ever won a national title in any sport. It was a great experience to have the team come together to bring the national crown to Laredo,” Donjuan said.
“Laredo should be thrilled to have the No. 1 team, singles player and doubles team in the nation. Tennis is big in Laredo now,” Donjuan added.
The NJCAA Division I tournament was May 16-20 at Collin County.
To view photos of the Palominos at the national tourney, CLICK HERE.
Office of Marketing and Public Information
West End Washington St.
Laredo, TX 78040-4395
956- 721-5140
Fax 956-721-5443