IGNACIO – Ellie Seibel barely could walk this week, let alone jump.
The Ignacio High School junior broke her toe in soccer practice then decided to play in a game the next day anyway.
“I didn’t notice it because of the adrenaline rush,” said Seibel, daughter of Melanie and Shane Seibel. “It was green, purple, black and swollen.”
At the last minute, she decided to brush the pain off and compete in the San Juan Basin League track and field championships Tuesday in Ignacio.
Good thing for the Bobcats that she did.
Seibel won the girls high jump at 4 feet, 5 inches in a jump-off over Dolores’ Shavargus Nopres.
“I’m kind of dedicated,” Seibel said. “I don’t want to go out of sports because of injuries. I think I made it worse.”
She was one of five Bobcats to win league championships at home.
Blaine Mickey made up for missing Ignacio’s Abel Velasquez Invitational earlier this season by taking first Tuesday with a shot put toss of 36-08.
“I figured I might as well try and make up for that and go ahead and get first place,” said Mickey, son of Jeremey and Tracy Mickey. “I think (the win) will help me throw better next week. It’s not a cockiness, I think it’s more kind of a pride thing, like I can do better. I’m improving.”
Natani Cundiff helped the Bobcats sweep the throwing events by tossing the discus 101-07 for the victory.
IHS also swept the boys and girls pole vault events, but only Bobcats competed in them.
Kyle Bailey took second in the boys high jump at 5-11, and Sky Cotton was second in the girls long jump at 15-9. Azala Perez finished second in the girls 100-meter dash in 13.63 seconds, .36 seconds out of first. Both also were members of the IHS girls 4x100-meter relay team that finished second.
“The girls have been really good and getting (the handoff) perfect,” said Cotton, daughter of Fred and Jennifer Cotton. “Conditioning is important, but handoffs are key. We get a good handoff, we get a good time.”
Ignacio’s busy stretch continues with a two-day meet in Aztec on Friday and Saturday. It will be the Bobcats’ fifth meet in the last two weeks.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
