The 18th Annual Dr. Daniel Cepero Track & Field Meet wrapped up on Saturday with the family of the late Dr. Cepero there to award a scholarship to a worthy athlete.
This year’s athlete was Devon Pierce, a recent Permian graduate and member of the Flying Lyons Track Club.
The scholarship honors the doctor, who along with his wife and the Neboh family, founded the West Texas Track Club.
“My husband and I had a passion for track, especially when our kids were little,” Susan Cepero said. “We worked really hard to make it happen, for kids to be involved in something that’s important for their [mental] growth as well as their physical growth.”
Pierce couldn’t have been more grateful to be awarded the scholarship.
“I’m gonna put this towards a good college,” Pierce said.
For him, the scholarship represents a wonderful reward at the end of a long road.
“Since seventh grade, I’ve been working really hard. I came out here and ran track for the Flying Lyons and it was a great experience. I came back, year after year,” Pierce said.
The journey to this point didn’t come without some obstacles, however.
A knee injury in 2021 nearly derailed his track career, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him from achieving his goals.
“It was a lot of work. There were times where it felt like I wasn’t gonna get back to where I was, where I wanted to be. I stopped going to physical therapy, so that took a toll, but I just started working out, working harder, and got better,” Pierce said.
In his final season with Permian, Pierce finished top-5 in both the 110 meter hurdles and 300 meter hurdles seven times.
That stretch included his final UIL meet, where he set two personal records, a 15.01 110 meter and a 41.83 in the 300 meter.
The Cepero family couldn’t have been happier to give out the scholarship to such an athlete, but there is more to the award than simply on-field performance.
“With the scholarship, we want to see the one boy or girl that competed all through high school and was part of all this,” Cepero said. “We talk to them, see what their interests are, and there’s an essay. Whoever gets the scholarship is driven to obtain higher education, and of course, they’re athletic.”
Cepero and her family selected Pierce for the scholarship because of the aspirations that he laid before them.
“He really shared his dreams, not just for today but also for the future,” Cepero said. “He was really passionate.”
The Permian graduate plans to attend Odessa College this fall and will major in business.
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