Montezuma-Cortez soccer players Nichole Kibel and Gabby Wolf were each named to all-conference teams in the 4A/5A Southwestern League following the 2016 season.

Kibel and Wolf each played key roles for the Lady Panthers, helping the team finish with a 4-8-2 record on the year and going 1-7-1 in league play.

Kibel, a Dolores senior and West Texas A&M University commit, was selected to the Southwestern League’s second team.

Head coach Nate Ross said that Kibel brought valuable experience from playing on different club teams, and that she was a leader for the Lady Panthers.

“She has been a player that has committed to soccer and has made soccer her sport,” said Ross. “And she has worked hard and is another one of those girls that leads by example on the field,” said Ross.

“She just has that maturity level and she sets the bar on the field,” he continued. “And she’s a girl that our younger girls can try to meet her standards for how she played this year.”

Wolf, a senior at M-CHS and also a West Texas A&M commit, was named to the Southwestern League’s first team.

Wolf also brought on-the-field leadership to the team and served as a coach on the field, directing younger players and vocalizing instructions to teammates.

“She brought that composure and leadership as a player on the field that girls that were coming up as freshman or sophomores were able to see what the next level player looks like,” said Ross. “I was most proud of Gabby for her ability to get other girls involved and help that development for other players.”

Wolf went down with a season-ending ankle injury in a contest against Grand Junction Central with just two games remaining on the schedule. But Ross said that he was proud of the way she handled herself following the injury.

“I think she performed her duties as a captain and as a leader throughout the season,” he said. “Even after she got hurt – and that’s another thing that I’m proud of her for – she adjusted and still helped the team after that injury.”