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Byline: Iliana Limon ILIMON@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3632
Nick Speegle took the abuse for five years without any fanfare.
The linebacker played after having surgery on a quarter-sized infected boil removed from his armpit.
He played with bruised ribs despite coughing up blood at halftime.
And he played the University of New Mexico's final home game this season against Wyoming with a separated shoulder.
His biggest reward came Monday afternoon when he earned first-team All-Conference honors. It was the first time Speegle, a La Cueva graduate and UNM senior, made the elite list.
"To be honest, I didn't think I was going to get it," he said. "Once I wasn't on the preseason list, I knew I …