Girls track and field: Permian athletes pick New Mexico Junior College

Ashleigh Alfaro, Shelby Chancellor and Laura Porras spent many hours together in Permian High School's girls track and field program.

They now have pledged their futures together, as well, after signing to compete for New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, N.M.

Alfaro and Chancellor will compete in various throwing events for NMJC, while Porras will be expected to compete both in cross country and in longer distances on the track.

"When I started here, I was a bad kid and I didn't really listen," Porras said. "(Permian head coach Carl Chancellor) gave me one more chance and I ended up getting my act together because I knew I had to put more time into it."

Carl Chancellor raved throughout the year about Porras' work ethic during her senior season and it paid off in the chance to run at the NJCAA level.

For Alfaro, the chance to throw collegiately was a dream that she was determined to see through despite a knee injury that wiped out her senior season of high school competition.

Alfaro, who had been a Region I-5A qualifier in the shot put as a junior, had surgery in early March. She said she was released earlier this month to continue full-time workouts.

"I love to compete, and when I got hurt it just killed me because I wanted to be able to be out there," Alfaro said. "After going to regionals last year I working toward going again, but getting hurt has pushed me more to get better and faster because I wanted to be able to compete (in college)."

Shelby Chancellor, whose father competed at the NCAA Division I level, said New Mexico Junior College seemed like the best option after looking at several colleges.
She knows competing at the next level means she'll pick up the weight throw for indoor meets and hammer for outdoor meets, which made the junior college route seem appealing.

"I'll be ale to get that 1-on-1 training where I can improve," Chancellor said. "I love track and that's why I didn't play basketball, so I could focus more on track and get my career going."