Seals' Stebila leaps at chances to get involved

Apr. 10—Selinsgrove senior Madison Stebila doesn't see a reason to limit the number of things in which she's involved.

Though between track and field, school, FBLA, volunteering and music, the amount of activities she participates in keeps her quite busy.

"I definitely have a passion for a bunch of different things," Stebila said. "When I find things I like, I put in 100 percent."

Despite her numerous varied interests, she excels at each of them.

Stebila won three events — setting a personal record in two — at the Seals' season-opening meet against Shikellamy. She was the state champion in the FBLA Computer Applications Test last year, and recently won the House of Hawks competition. On top of that, she qualified for district band, district jazz band and honors band as a trumpet player.

"It's a lot of time management, but I do feel a little scattered at times," Stebila said.

"As a dad, I really couldn't be more proud of her and how she carries herself, and the way she's concerned about everyone else," said Selinsgrove girls track and field coach Mike Stebila, who is Madison's father. "She's a super well-rounded person."

Stebila's performance in the jumps, her academic performance (98% GPA) and her commitment to community service are why she was selected as The Daily Item's Scholar-Athlete of the Week, sponsored by SUN Orthopaedics of Evangelical, as well as PPL Electric Utilities.

The award honors local student-athletes who thrive in the classroom, in the community and on Valley playing fields.

Madison Stebila's sophomore track and field season ended with her competing in the high jump at the state meet. She was the runner-up at the Heartland Athletic Conference meet in both the high jump and triple jump. She seemed poised to have a breakout junior season.

However, her junior season was completely wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Losing last year was definitely hard," she said. "I tried to use it to see what I could do to better myself, and not focus on what I was missing."

That extra work elevated her to what she hopes is a good position for her senior year.

"Seeing her over the winter, and even last year, there was so much work that she put in. She's so much stronger than she was in the past," coach Stebila said. "She has worked extremely hard over the past year to take advantage of her senior year."

The early results are encouraging. Madison Stebila cleared 5-foot-2 to win the high jump, covered 15-6 1/2 to win the long jump, and leaped 34-3 for first place in the triple jump against the Braves. She set PRs in both the high jump and triple jump, and was a half-inch off her PR in the long jump.

"So far, I'm really excited with how my season has started," she said. "To get those PRs was very exciting and reflective of what I put in."

Coach Stebila said in addition to the hard work his 6-foot-1 daughter has put in, she also has knowledge of how to jump.

"The way she's picked up the technique in all of the jumps is super-beneficial," Mike Stebila said. "She's turning into a coach with just a few years of experience."

The coach added that Madison Stebila noticed something that he used to help one of the male high jumpers more easily clear the bar, something that speaks to her role as a captain, as well as her technical knowledge.

Madison Stebila is headed to Millersville University next season to jump and major in secondary education with a focus in math.

"Being the president of (Selinsgrove's) FBLA and a captain on the team, I've loved interacting with people and helping people better themselves," she said. "Because of that, I knew being a teacher was right for me."

She has also gotten first-hand experience, volunteering as a math tutor in the high school and teaching Sunday School to fifth-grade students at St. Pius X.

Madison Stebila also helps out with her brother's Cub Scout troop.

"I think it's really important to give back to the community," she said. "I really love helping others and making an impact."

Academically, Madison Stebila has taken an Advanced Placement course in statistics, and has taken courses through three different colleges, in addition to her work at Selinsgrove. She took a class at Lackawanna College, three courses at Susquehanna, and a class through Penn College.

"Academically, she's a superstar," coach Stebila said.

Madison Stebila's Penn College course — Information Technology and Society — helped give her a leg up in her FBLA competition last year.

She finished first in the state in 2020 in a competition where everyone was given a business and had to make a presentation about the financial information of that company.

"That class really prepared me," she said. "I did a lot of studying on my own, too. As much as the club is about business, I like the connections made through it."

Madison Stebila and a partner recently took first place in the House of Hawks, a "Shark Tank-style" competition through Susquehanna. The competition picked only two finalists, and Stebila and her partner's project of designing an application geared to helping high school students find employment based on their schedule and company needs was the winner.

"I thought it was a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone," said Madison Stebila, who added that she was able to take on so many things because of her "supportive family."

For now, one of her top priorities is a good end to her track and field career at Selinsgrove.

"My short-term goal is just to focus on each meet, give my best effort and keep PRing," she said. "Then at districts, I hope to hit a new PR and make it to states (in the high jump). I'd also like to do that in the triple jump."