Waelder athlete signs letter

The road to higher education is always tough for those trying to travel it.  Waelder athlete Clay Orona’s path to college is no different.  But with a successful high school career in cross-country, basketball and in overall education, he was able to gain a partial scholarship to attend Trinity University.

Before Orona signed his letter of intent to run cross-country, athletic director David President addressed the on-looking group of students by talking about Orona’s path to college.

“The next step for [Clay] is being able to get a degree and hopefully graduate from a university,” President stated.  “Every last one of you guys has the capability of this.  It’s not anything special; it’s just hard work.  It’s hard work, it’s dedication, it’s setting goals and it’s having a dream.”

President continued the speech by mentioning that Orona “from day one has been wanting to attend a university and be a part of a program.

“I promised him that if he just did what I asked him to do, if he continued his hard work in the classroom, then we would find somewhere for him to go.”

President did just that, as he was instrumental in looking for the perfect fit for Orona.

“Coach has been wonderful in the process of looking for a college,” claimed Clay’s mother, Deanna Orona.  “He made sure to tell Clay to focus on academics and the rest will follow."

Orona remarked on President’s involvement as well.

“He’s been a huge help as far as me going to his office and getting help with applying for scholarships and calling coaches.  He’s been helping me 200 percent with that.  He’s really been the pushing factor for a lot of things, “ Orona said.

President mentioned Orona’s hard work and persistence as reasons why he earned the partial scholarship.  Orona’s junior year of cross-country proved it.

In the 2011 season of cross-country, Orona made it to the UIL Texas State XC Championships and individually finished in 10^th place in a field of 106 runners.

Orona was unable to compete in cross-country his senior year due to an automobile accident in August that broke his back and forced him to be in brace for three months.  However, Orona’s junior year success proved to be enough to motivate him to compete in college.

“Junior year was enough to definitely tell myself I can do something in college,” Orona began.  “[Senior year] was the first cross-country season I had sat out since sixth grade.  It was tough, but coming out of the back brace I kind of knew that I either don’t do anything about it and kind of fall off or I keep going and get better.”

After his recovery, Orona returned to sports, leading Waelder’s basketball team to two postseason wins before losing to D’Hanis in the regional quarterfinals.  Orona is looking to be a walk-on for the Trinity University basketball team while also competing for their cross-country team.

Trinity University is a private school in San Antonio whose athletic teams compete as a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and NCAA Division III.  The Trinity Tiger basketball team made it to the NCAA Tournament but was ousted in the first round.  Their cross-country team placed 32^nd in the NCAA Division III Championship.

Orona’s choice in school however isn’t necessarily all about athletics.  He is hoping to get a degree in Geosciences while also obtaining a minor in Business Administration.

“[Trinity University] had the degree that I wanted and it’s a real prestigious program as far as academics and everything fit perfectly.”  Orona went on to say “I had other offers but I’d rather go somewhere that fits with academics and athletics together.  It’s just a perfect fit for me.”