2025-04-30T00:03:00Z

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Alivia Rivera-Norman is ready to turn the page on last year's challenges as she heads into her final high school competition. The senior from Permian High School is set to participate in the highly anticipated UIL State Track and Field Championships this weekend, where she will compete in the Girls 100-meter hurdles. Rivera-Norman's goal is to finish her high school athletic career on a high note, and she is determined to rewrite her narrative from last year.

Last season, Rivera-Norman faced significant adversity, finishing in seventh place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.42 seconds. This performance came as she battled an Achilles injury, which limited her training and preparation. However, this year, Rivera-Norman feels poised for greatness and is eager to showcase her improved abilities on the track.

Its starting to hit me that this is going to be my last race of high school but Im excited, Rivera-Norman stated. I feel like Im ready for it. Im ready to go out and prove myself this year because coming off an injury last year, I feel a lot more prepared and a lot more excited. Her journey has been one of resilience and determination, and she is ready to make the most of her final opportunity.

Reflecting on her previous season, Rivera-Norman recounted the challenges she faced while recovering from her Achilles injury. Being put in a boot, I thought my season was over, but my doctor cleared me to run, she explained. But even then, I was just like, when Im sitting down, all these other girls are catching up and catching up, and theyre getting farther ahead of me. So it was really just a mental game going into state, really more of a, Im going to have to run the hardest Ive ever run before. This mental fortitude has shaped her approach to this season.

This year, Rivera-Norman has experienced no significant setbacks and feels fully healthy heading into the seasons most important meet. She believes she has gained substantial speed during her training. For me, I feel like this has been a big season of growth for me, really learning how to push myself when its just me running, and thats one of the biggest things Ive always struggled with, she shared. So I think its just been a big season of growth of who I am and who I am because of track.

Her hard work paid off during the Region I-6A championships on April 19, where she finished first with an impressive time of 14.06 seconds. Rivera-Norman expressed her excitement about returning to state, saying, Its always good to get in front of people, and when you finally see youre in front of people, youre hoping to keep it up. It was exciting to know that Im going back to state. I really get this opportunity to run there again and run there injury-free.

While she is fiercely focused on this weekends competition, Rivera-Norman is also looking forward to her future in collegiate athletics. Earlier this year, she signed her letter of intent to run track at Liberty University, a Division I program. Its an opportunity that not a lot of people get, Rivera-Norman remarked. And it makes me feel like all this time, effort, the weekends, the weekdays I put in, I feel like they really just paid off. I get to go run at the next level and I get to do it for free.

In addition to her athletic pursuits, Rivera-Norman plans to study biomedical science and aims to become an EMT first responder. Her coach, Jasmin Torres, has been instrumental in her development this season, praising her improvement and dedication. Weve been working on explosion and getting out real quick and holding that speed all the way through, Torres said. She is a super coachable kid. Working with her has been a great blessing of my own because there are not very many that are like her. Its just a blessing for me to be able to have her out here.

Alivia Rivera-Norman is set to compete at approximately 5:45 p.m. on Saturday at the Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field at the University of Texas at Austin. The anticipation is high for what could be a memorable conclusion to her high school career.