When growing up, many kids dream of being an athlete. Whether that be the star quarterback, the best three-point shooter around or the next whatever athlete they look up to, many kids dream of being the best of the best and breaking records along the way. Andrew Bosquez is no different.

“Whenever the gun went off for the race, I heard nothing,” Bosquez said. “They had music playing and people were screaming, and I did not hear anything. I literally just heard the track and the pounding of the feet and nothing else.”

Earlier this month, Bosquez became the fastest mile runner in school history with a time of 4:04.93.

“Before the race, I raced at Houston, I ran a 4:10 and I was at the front of the pack and was thinking I’m going to go for the record because the guy, Jeffrey Moore, everybody used to brag about him,” Bosquez said. “This is a record I would love to get, and I want to leave my footprint here as well.”

Bosquez did not start out as a runner. He grew up loving basketball because that was his dad’s passion. Naturally, he followed suit and played basketball up until he got to high school.

“I got into running very young,” Bosquez said.  “I moved to Albuquerque when I was a freshman and I was a basketball kid because that was my dad’s first love, so it was obviously my first love. The next thing I knew one of my teammates was like ‘You never get tired you should go out and run track.’ And at the time I didn’t know what track really was. I did it my freshman year and then I moved back to my hometown of Hobbs, New Mexico and I did the same thing there in playing basketball and running cross country.”

Through high school that love for basketball never faded. He continued to play until his sophomore year, but his love for running grew even further than that. And like many kids’ dilemmas when changing a lifestyle, he did not want to disappoint his dad.

“The previous cross country head coach unretired because he said he saw a lot of potential in our team and believed he could win state with us,” Bosquez said. “He came back my junior and senior year and asked if I wanted to be a state champion. I told him ‘There’s 24 kids who beat me, there’s no way I can do that. He told me that if I quit basketball and put all my energy into cross country, he could help me become a state champion. Slowly and slowly, I was doing summer training and decided to quit basketball without telling my dad. It was gameday and my dad was ready to go, and I told him I quit and the look on his face was pure disgust, and I was scared he wasn’t going to want to watch me run.”

However, Bosquez was wrong in believing his dad would not want to support his kid. His father has continued to be his biggest fan even after moving eight hours away from his hometown.

“My dad since my freshman year of high school has never missed a meet,” Bosquez said. “In my whole eight years of running, he has traveled in his own truck a little over 10,000 miles or more. He flew to Arkansas when I had a cross country regional there. He flew to Alabama last year whenever we were in the Southland conference. He goes everywhere and the support he has for me is crazy. He literally has every video from my first-time racing in eighth grade on a little camcorder and slowly over time he finally got an iPhone and from that point on from my JuCo years to now.”

Once Bosquez committed his time and energy he became one of the top runners in New Mexico. That same year he won both the state championship as well as the Gatorade New Mexico Boys Cross Country Runner Of The Year.

With the accolades starting to pile up he knew he could fulfill a dream of his that he had since he was a kid.

“Before the college dream came about, my mom passed away from breast cancer and I always told my dad that I didn’t want him to pay for college,” Bosquez said. “So, I went to junior college at South Plains College, and I did really good over there. My first year I got second place in the 10K outdoor championship. We won indoor nationals and so I was like, I don’t want you to pay for college.”

During his second year at South Plains, Bosquez knew it was time to continue on. He wanted to continue running and knew he could do it at a very high level.

Distance coach Jesse Parker reached out to Bosquez after his second year at South Plains trying to recruit him. He saw a lot of potential in Bosquez and knew he could be a difference maker for the program at Sam Houston University.

“Then coach Parker called me, and he said that he believed in me and that he knew I had a bad last year at my last junior college but saw a lot of potential in me,” Bosquez said. “He offered whatever he did, and I told my dad that I was going to move eight hours away from home. Of course, he was like, ‘Are you serious,’ and I told him this is the best opportunity for me.”

After college, Bosquez wants to continue running in any way he can as that is where his passion truly lies.

“There are so many options that you can sign with,” Bosquez said. “There are professional teams or smaller brands that you can sign with. I don’t think I will ever stop running but of course a big dream is to be able to go into big races like at A&M with no name attached to me and go out there and get noticed.”

Aside from the world of running, Bosquez also wants to continue his mom’s legacy in the work that she did.

“She worked with kids with autism and that’s what I want to do in the future,” Bosquez said. “I fell in love with it cause there used to be this one kid she worked with and I believe three years after she passed away I was in high school and he was like, ‘Andrew,’ and I gave him a hug and he was like you were born on October 9, 1998 and I was like you remember that and I went home and started crying and asked my dad if he remembered that kid that mom used to take care of and mentioned he remembered my full name and birthday and I knew I wanted to work with kids like that. Ever since then, my sister has done it, I want to carry that on too.”

In his senior season, Bosquez has continued to leave his footprint everywhere he can at Sam Houston and has done in admirable fashion.

“I never really left my mark in JuCo and I thought no coach was going to want me but coach Parker believed in me and now being able to leave my legacy here is amazing.”