Texan Mosaic

by NICK ALVARADO//Sports Editor

Like father, like daughter.

Bosi Mosongo, a freshman at South Plains College, came to Levelland to compete on the women’s track and field team while pursuing an education.

However, South Plains College wasn’t exactly on her radar initially.

Mosongo’s dad, Patrick, was a track team member at SPC who went on to attend Texas Tech University. That played a pivotal role in her decision.

“My dad had a huge impact,” Mosongo said. “I actually wasn’t even looking at SPC. I was looking at schools in North and South Carolina, where I was planning on going. But the money situation didn’t work out.”

Originally from Indiana, the weather in West Texas is not the only thing that is noticeable for Mosongo.

“There are a lot more bugs and trucks,” Mosongo said. “That is the main difference that I have noticed. It’s much more diverse than I thought it would be. It gets hot in Indiana, but it gets consistently hot here. College is making my allergies terrible, but there isn’t much of a difference. All the people are much more friendlier than Indiana.”

Mosongo has two younger siblings, a brother, 14, and sister, 11. Family hasn’t been the only place where Mosongo receives support.

“I’ve always had a strong groups of friends, both at home and the community,” Mosongo said. “I’ve always loved people, and I’ve always loved running. As a child, that was something I always did, and it was fun and exciting.”

Her father encouraged Bosi to come to SPC after the experience that he had.

Every athlete has a moment in their athletic career that helps decide their future. For Bosi, it came in a painful way but made her love track even more.

“I think it was my sophomore year in high school,” Mosongo recalled. “I was running my leg in the four-by-400 relay. I was having problems with my hip. I ran my leg, and toward the 200-meter mark, my growth plate in my hip basically fractured. It was really painful, but I still kept on running and lost two places. My time was still a 60, and if I hadn’t fracture my growth plate at the regional meet, I couldn’t imagine what my time was. We placed and advanced to state.”

With her parents in Indiana, it may seem impossible for them to be supporting her at a meet. But Mosongo says there’s may be a possibility that her parents will move back to Texas.

“First off, my parents want to move back here,” Mosongo said. “But they definitely want to see some competitions. Texas is a 19-hour drive. I’m sure they are going to fly this time and see a few competitions.

As the season draws closer, Bosi’s dad reminds her of the things he did to keep pushing her in the right direction.

“Whenever he talks about ‘when I was your age,” Mosongo says, “he says, ‘I was getting straight As, I was running 10 miles a day’, and all these things that I’m not doing right now. He’s trying to push me in that way.”