Determined to prolong her season however, Schliesser summoned all of her strength and delivered a season-best throw of 97 feet, 10 inches, which vaulted her into 16th place in the Class 2A discus rankings and qualified her for state for the first time in her high school career.
"I was kind of afraid that I wasn't going to make it to state, but then I increased my distance by three feet and got in," Schliesser said. "When I found out that I qualified, I got really excited and starting thinking about the final (exams) that I have to get done before I go."
Asked what she has enjoyed most about her time as a member of the Dolores High School track team, Schliesser explained that the opportunity to compete individually has been gratifying.
"I like track because it's about self competition," she said. "You can make friends with the other schools and interact with competitors in a friendly way. You are competing against yourself, which is nice."
In addition to her many accomplishments as a thrower, Schliesser enjoyed a solid four-year career as a member of the Dolores High School basketball team where she became known for her toughness and heart.
"I was one of the shortest posts in the league, so I had to work a lot harder than some of the other girls to get the ball," said Schliesser, who averaged 2.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a senior. "You have to give it all that you have and that's pretty much what I tried to do."
Schliesser also has earned solid marks in the classroom and listed biology as her favorite class.
"I enjoy biology because you learn a lot of things that are relevant to the actual world," she said. "I also enjoy my extracurricular classes like art."
With her high school graduation quickly approaching, Schliesser said that she is planning to take a year off before attending culinary arts school in Denver or Phoenix.
She said that she would like to coach middle school track before she leaves for school as a means of giving back to the community and school that she has called home.
"I enjoyed it in Dolores because there was a lot of interaction with my teachers," she said. "I enjoyed the sports because you were able to connect with the girls because we didn't have to compete to get on the team."
