SISTER ACT
With the State Track and Field Championships getting underway this week, you better get used to the name Mondragon. There’s a pair of sisters from Melrose that might take home a lot of hardware.
“Definitely one of the most successful sister duos in school history,” said Melrose High School track coach Casey Jackson.
“Everybody thinks we’re twins,” explained Nataley Mondragon. “Some people think that I’m older than her.”
LaKasey Mondragon is a senior. She is the defending state champ and record holder in the pole vault. She also runs relays.
“Out of all my highlights, winning state championships, all that stuff, I think having my sister by my side and playing with her is my absolute biggest highlight of my high school career and something I’ll never ever forget,” said LaKasey Mondragon.
Her younger sister Nataley is only a sophomore, but the defending state champ in the 100 meter race, the 200 meter event, long jump and high jump and she owns the state record in high jump as well.
“My favorite is definitely the high jump because I’ve been doing it for so long,” said Nataley. “I just fell in love with it and I think I want to take it to the next level and, if I can, get a scholarship for it.”
They’re both very competitive and successful, but they do have their differences.
“Nat’s more reserved and laid back, easy going, shy,” said coach Jackson. “But her sister is complete opposite, real energetic, loud, talks a lot.”
LaKasey agreed with her coach’s description of her sister. “She’s a little shy. Whenever she talks to people she’s just kind of quiet and just sits there. I’m like, ‘Nataley you’ve got to talk once in a while.’ And she’s like, ‘I try but I can’t’. So I’m a little more outgoing than she is.”
So, what’s game night like in the Mondragon household?
“Me and her, we have the exact same attitude. We love to win. We don’t like losing especially against each other,” said LaKasey.
“We do fight sometimes, but mostly in public we try to keep it cool,” countered Nataley.
Keep it cool ladies. And good luck this week.
The NMAA Class A-3A State Track & Field Championship will begin Friday May 4 in Albuquerque.
