Student Athlete of the Week – Martin Torres
La Quinta High School Cross-Country
"He came out freshman year in track and that's where I met him. He had two races and the first race he went it was funny," said La Quinta Cross Country head coach Candy Felix.
Our Student Athlete of the Week segment returns tonight and our first senior to be showcased is @lqathletics star runner Martin Torres. @BaileyKESQ has the full story and will be featuring seniors throughout the year, so be sure to send in those nominations! @KESQ @LQBlackhawks pic.twitter.com/OgM7E5edHs
— Blake Arthur (@BlakeArthur24) August 22, 2023
"He went out and he was leading the race for three laps and then all of my veterans went and caught him. I think he finished last, not last but second last. But it was his attitude I knew is he was going to be something special."
"This guy recruited me. I did track and cross. I didn't do cross freshman year but I started doing track," said Torres. "And ever since I just started loving it and I met a lot of people and it just became part of my life now.
"He is the stereotypical distance runner, he's a goofball off the course. But when he races he hates to lose," said Felix.
Torres is coming off a huge year winning league MVP, but he says he's hungrier than ever. He has his eyes dialed on that mile record.
"I'm not I'm not that far behind. I'm like two seconds to beat the record," said Torres. "It's at 4:21 and I'm at 4:23. I think as long as I stay consistent, I keep running and eat healthy I think I'll probably get there by the end of the year."
Torres has loved La Quinta but he has his eyes set beyond the Coachella Valley. He wants to make his family proud.
"I want to show my mom that like all this was like worth for something. So, I want to get a scholarship when I graduate high school," said Torres.
"I just hope he realizes how good he is or what we see in him. Because he can definitely can be that guy," said Felix.
The Student Athlete of the Week segment airs every Tuesday, profiling local high school seniors who are strong students, good athletes and outstanding people.
Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of local high school sports throughout the 2023-2024 school-year.
