Durango twins active in sport, community and classroom

Twins Jamie and Stacie Mitchell stay active in community service, leadership roles and extracurricular clubs, all while staying in the top 10 of their class.

Neither one is a slouch in the classroom. But that heavy workload hasn’t stopped the junior duo from being among the area’s top cross country athletes while running at Durango.

“Jamie and Stacie have been the best brother-and-sister duo that I have ever coached, and they have definitely been inspirational leaders and positive role models on our team,”  Durango coach Jim Holben said.

They are both high-achieving scholar-athletes, with sister Stacie Mitchell’s 4.5 GPA ranking her third in the class, and brother Jamie Mitchell ranked eighth with a 4.4.

The twins attend College of Southern Nevada High School, and they both have a rigorous load of college courses and advanced placement classes.

Their school does not have sanctioned athletic teams, which is why they run for Durango.

Both runners have finished near the top of their league throughout the season. Stacie Mitchell finished second and Jamie Mitchell was third at the Southwest League race.

“My sister and I have tried to be reliable leaders and promote team unity, enthusiasm and encouraging everyone to try their best without complaining at practices,” Jamie Mitchell said.

The Mitchells moved to Las Vegas from Rochester, N.Y., in September of 2008. They weren’t eligible to run cross country for Durango that fall but worked out with the team as they earned a place with the squad.

“It did take both me and my brother some time to adjust and feel comfortable with Durango’s team, their training techniques and different types of workouts compared to what we did back in New York,” Stacie Mitchell said.

“However, as time went on in Durango’s season, the team really warmed up to us, were very friendly and welcoming, and included us as part of their team, even though we could not compete for our school.”

As the 2009 track season began, they both became leaders — as well as successful runners, receiving Most Valuable Player honors.

“Both my sister and I did not have great track races because we were having trouble with the dryness and heat of Las Vegas along with dehydration problems,” Jamie Mitchell said.

The Mitchells seem to have put those problems behind them.

Both twins started the cross country season with strong races.

At the Falcon Invitational, both ran the second-fastest times of the meet, with Jamie Mitchell only six seconds behind the top boy and Stacie Mitchell three seconds behind the top girl at the meet.

At the Las Vegas Invitational, both ran to 11th-place finishes in the large school division, with 3.1-mile times of 17:28 for Jamie Mitchell and 21:19 for Stacie Mitchell.

Not bad for athletes with little cross country experience. They grew up participating in taekwondo and soccer, taking up running for the first time in seventh grade.

Neither ran cross country as freshmen at Fairport High in Rochester, N.Y., instead choosing to play soccer. But they both earned varsity spots on the track team as freshmen before moving to Las Vegas.

Aside from being accomplished runners, the twins excel in school and extracurricular activities. Even with CSNHS’ intense academic competition and demanding curriculum, they are currently ranked in the top eight of their student body.

Stacie Mitchell is considering a career in medicine. Jamie Mitchell is interested in several subjects, including computers, graphic design and architecture.

The twins haven’t just inspired their teammates. They’ve also spurred their mother, Eun-young Muniz, to start running.

“I am very proud of them in everything that they do,” Muniz said, “and I am blessed to have such hard-working and self-dedicated kids who enjoy spending time with their family.”