Hebert Effort Comes in 3-D

Whether she’s skimming over hurdles in track, battling an opponent for the ball in soccer, or carrying out myriad duties as senior class president, Stacy Hebert of Buena High is constantly trying to keep her balance.

A two-time Ventura County champion in the 300-meter low hurdles, Hebert has been a three-sport competitor during each of her four years at Buena.

She competed in volleyball, soccer and track as a freshman, sophomore and junior before dropping volleyball for cross-country as a senior.

Despite her inexperience in cross-country, she won the Channel League title last fall and led the Bulldogs to their 13th consecutive league championship.

Hebert followed that by playing defender on a soccer team that advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Section Division II playoffs. She should contend for a top-three finish in the 300 hurdles today in the Division II race of the Southern Section divisional championships at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Her wide range of athletic success, particularly in track and soccer, has prompted a question that Hebert has yet to answer. Will she compete in both sports in college or focus on one?

“I have wondered how good I could be if I concentrated on one sport,” Hebert said. “But I think playing a variety of sports keeps you fresh. You don’t get sick of one sport and you get to associate with different people. That’s important to me. We have some outstanding swimmers at Buena, but some of them are so devoted that they don’t have a life outside of swimming.”

Steve Blum, girls’ cross-country and track coach at Buena, said the school that lands Hebert will acquire a supreme competitor.

“She gets more out of her body than anyone I’ve ever coached,” Blum said. “I mean, she’s run 12.8 [seconds] in the 100. People that run 12.8 in the 100 aren’t supposed to run 43.97 in the 300 hurdles.”