Dolores track teams show improvement in Ignacio

Sierra Schwartz hurdles to two Top 5 finishes in individual events

With the end of her high school career quickly approaching, Dolores High School senior Sierra Schwartz appears determined to make the most of the limited opportunities that remain.

The three-sport athlete’s latest standout performance came at the Abel Velasquez Invitational in Ignacio on April 7 when, running against athletes from eight other teams, she scored a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles (17.55) and a third-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles (54.56).

Schwartz also competed as a member of the Lady Bears’ 4x100 relay, which included freshman Jenesis Shields, senior Cameron Elder, and sophomore Brenn Jeter, which finished first overall (58.54).

Other top finishers for the Dolores girls team included junior Morgaine Milligan, who finished seventh in the discus (72 feet, 11¾ inches) and eighth in the shot put (26 feet, 3 inches). Jeter placed fifth in the long jump (13 feet, 1 inch), freshman Autumn Stienberger, placed eighth in the discus (70 feet, 10 inches), and freshman Akira Edwards, placed 10th in the 400-meter dash (1:21.86).

The Lady Bears finished seventh as a team, with 30 points. Montezuma-Cortez won the nine-team event with 117 points.

Among the boys, Dolores was paced by junior distance standout Phillip Huffman, who finished fourth in the 1600-meter run (5:04.08). Sophomore Aiden Adams finished sixth in the 100-mter dash (12.00), and freshman Chance Wilber rounded out his team’s Top 10 finishers with a 10th-place finish in the 400-meter dash (1:02.03).

Dolores finished ninth as a team, with 11 points. Mancos High School finished at the top of the boys’ standings, with 115 points overall.

Next up for both Dolores teams will be the Pine River Invitational,in Bayfield on April 14.