The University of New Mexico Lands
Local Superstar
By Ron Wallace
Ruidoso resident and track and star Shalom
Keller graduated on May 25th from New Mexico
Connections Academy, one of the state’s virtual
schools. Shalom has recently showcased her
outstanding skills on the main stage at the high
school state track meet at UNM stadium. The
next time Shalom competes in UNM Stadium,
will be as a New Mexico Lobo as she will
be attending the University of New Mexico
on a full-ride athletic scholarship.
For Shalom, this is definitely a
triumphant accomplishment. However,
winning is nothing new to Shalom. As an
8th grader running on the high school
varsity team at the state finals, she
finished third on the 4x100 meter relay
team, and 2nd on the 4x400 and 4x200
meter relay team. Individually, she
finished 2nd in the 200 meter run.
As a 9th grader, Shalom began
her individual dominance as she
finished 1st in the 100 and 200 meter run and 2nd in the
400 meters.
By the 10th grade, Shalom’s stardom continued to
shine. At the state finals, though she false started and
was disqualified in the 100-meter run, she rebounded
and finished 1st in the 200 meters. She and her relay
team finished 1st in the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relays.
Just when it looked like Shalom was ready for a
dominant showing in what would be her junior year,
Shalom shared a drastic change in her life’s journey.
“I suffered an injury that began while I was in the 10th
grade. My foot began to hurt and we all thought it was a
sprained ankle, so I continued to run. The pain continued
and my parents took me to a specialist and discovered I
had an extra bone in my foot. We were trying to avoid
surgery, but it got so bad that we eventually went to a
foot specialist and had to have surgery.” In addition to
her foot surgery, Shalom had to have her jaw operated
on in the same year.
“It was a hard time. I even began to doubt whether
I would ever run again,” said Shalom.
Shalom was on a liquid diet for four months before
she would begin training again in
October. She received what she calls a
gift from God, in the form of a husband and
wife team of trainers, Cisco and Elizabeth
Bob. The Bobs volunteered to help her through
this challenging experience. “They pushed me
to not only train to recover, but to extend my
abilities,” said Shalom.
She returned her senior year and
unleashed the track dominance everyone
was waiting for. In the state meet Shalom
finished first in all the sprints, the 100,
200, and 400 meters, and was a major
contributor on their relay teams that
finished first in the 4x100-meter relay
and second in the 4x200 meters.
Shalom has always maintained
a strong belief in God, and is always
thankful for the many blessings she has
received in her life. “My life has been
blessed of God and it began from the
time I was born. I was born in Louisiana,
and when I was three weeks old God blessed me to be
adopted by a family in New Mexico, Dewey and Monica
Keller. They have been the best parents, and my siblings
are awesome. I couldn’t ask for a better family. They have
been with me every step of the way, and with every step
I take I thank God for them,” says Shalom.
The track program at the University of New Mexico
will be the recipient of the skills of this vastly talented
athlete. Although UNM didn’t show interest early on in
the relationship, an impatient Shalom decided to look
at other schools. As the track season went on, Shalom
produced times that caught the eye of the UNM coaches,
and a rush of interest replaced the silence Shalom was
hearing earlier. “By the time we heard from the University
of New Mexico, I was already considering other schools,
but my parents convinced me to give the University
another look, and as a team, my parents and I decided on
UNM,” explains Shalom on her decision to attend UNM.
Shalom is a virtual star on the rise in New Mexico.
13
Statewide Focus Magazine