The Cupertino Courier

Sports

Tsai sets sights on CCS track finals

Mustangs win two more in baseball

By MIKE BARNHART

As the high school track and field season approaches the home stretch, teams are wrapping up their invitational and dual meet schedules and athletes are gearing up for next week's Santa Clara Valley Athletic League finals.

Homestead and Fremont, after squaring off at the Mustangs' track on April 27, will join Cupertino and four other teams for the El Camino Division finals on May 3 at Santa Clara. Monta Vista and Lynbrook will hit the road Thursday for their last De Anza Division duals at Milpitas and Palo Alto, respectively. A week later, May 4, the Matadors and Vikings will compete in the De Anza Finals at Los Altos.

The best performers in the division meets will earn berths in the SCVAL Qualifier, set for May 13 at Los Gatos. From there, the top six male and female finishers in each event advance to the Central Coast Section championship semifinals May 20 at San José City College.

Homestead senior Will Tsai is one of several local athletes who have their sights set on the CCS finals on May 26 at City College.

Tsai, who continues to be the top discus thrower in the CCS with a best effort of 179-10, won his specialty at the CCS Top 8 Meet last Friday night at Los Gatos. Tsai's hurl of 169-1 was more than 13 feet better than the next best mark. In the shot put, Tsai finished fourth with a season best of 51-10, fourth best in the CCS. Lynbrook senior Nitin Yerreddi, whose heave of 46-9 earned second place at the Leland Quicksilver Classic on April 8, was 11th at the Top 8 event.

Monta Vista senior Patrick Lee cleared 6-2 to place second in the high jump, a week after jumping 6-0 for fifth place at the Hampton/Phillips Invitational at San José City. Cupertino senior Travis Scibetta, who triple-jumped 44-1 for second place at the Quicksilver Classic and surpassed 44 again a week later for second at the Hampton/Phillips, placed fifth in the Top 8 meet. Scibetta also figures to contend in the long jump (20-3 personal best) and high jump (5-10) during the SCVAL competition.

Monta Vista senior Maria Nelson placed second in both girls short sprints at the Top 8 meet, zipping 12.53 in the 100 meters and 25.86 in the 200. Cupertino senior Melanie Boyle leaped 34-0 for fifth in the triple jump, six places ahead of sophomore teammate Stephanie Glick (32-5).

Homestead sophomore Sarah Engle, the pole vault winner (10-6) a week earlier at the Frosh-Soph Classic, vaulted 10-0 and placed fifth in the varsity meet.

Cupertino senior Erica Buchinski, who clocked a season-best 16.98 in the 100 low hurdles while running second at the Quicksilver, ran 17.08 for eighth at the Top 8 meet. Louise DeBruycher of Lynbrook ran a personal best 17.35 in the event, finishing ahead of junior teammate Loretta Zhang. Monta Vista junior Emily Rubin raced 48.82 for ninth in the 300 hurdles. Homestead freshman Emily Evans ran 50.1 for sixth in the frosh-soph race.

Monta Vista junior Angela Hsu, who clocked the CCS's second fastest 3,200 race (11:06.49) of the year when she placed fifth in the prestigious Arcadia Invitational on April 8, took 10th in the Top 8 event. Hsu's 11:32 was two places and nearly five seconds behind the eighth-place finish of Cupertino sophomore Sumika Shiokawa (11:27.66). Two other Matadors, freshman Jean Feng and junior Lisa Worsham, placed 11th and 12th in the race. Feng, Hsu and Lynbrook junior MayC Huang finished 11-12-13 in the 1,600 run.

Monta Vista jumper Julia Co and Cupertino middle distance runner Kimberly Chew did not participate in the Top 8, but likely will advance to the SCVAL qualifier and challenge for CCS berths.

Lynbrook sophomore Eric Suprenant placed among the top four in three frosh-soph boys events. Suprenant took second in the long jump with 19-8, third in the 300 hurdles (43.98) and fourth in the 65 high hurdles (10.2), all personal bests.

Cupertino sophomore Mrinal Bedi placed fourth in the 800 and seventh in the 3,200, one place ahead of freshman teammate Stanislav Rumyantsev. Lynbrook's Scott Blomquist was fifth in the high jump.

Homestead's Austin Lopes placed sixth in the shot put and ninth in the discus.

Los Gatos ran away with the frosh-soph girls' competition, winning seven of the nine running events and racking up 115 points. Mountain View was second with 53 points, just three ahead of third-place Cupertino, which won the races not claimed by a Wildcat. Lynbrook (41 points) finished sixth.

Shiokawa captured the 3,200 run for the Pioneers and Cupertino's 1,600 relay team also was a winner. Nadia Chow (15-1) won the long jump for Cupertino and was second in the triple jump to Lynbrook's Diana Lee (32-4). Lee was second in the long jump.

Lynbrook's Maggie Chen took second in the discus and fifth in the shot put. Cupertino's Kathryn Steakly was fourth in the discus, and teammate Natalie Buchinski took eighth in the shot put.

Sophomore Melissa Gomez placed third in the 800 for Cupertino, and Lynbrook's Erica Kenny was seventh in the 400. After finishing fifth in the 1,600, Homestead's Laura Pochowski ran fourth in the 3,200, one place ahead of teammate Rachel Moll. Lynbrook's Cindy Ju was eighth in the eight-lapper, after taking ninth in the 1,600.

Homestead wins two

Paced by senior Derek Hargis, Homestead's baseball team ran its SCVAL El Camino Division record to 6-0 in a pair of make-up games last week during spring break. The Mustangs first topped Saratoga, 5-1, at home on April 17, then won the next day, 6-1, at Monta Vista. The two wins improved their overall record to 12-4.

Junior Kevin Labadie and Hargis combined on a 5-hitter against Saratoga, Labadie earning the decision and Hargis collecting his third save. Junior first baseman Andrew Pardo had three hits, including a double, leading the Mustangs' nine-hit attack.

Hargis delivered a double and triple and junior Erik Taubman was the winning pitcher in Homestead's win at Monta Vista. Senior center fielder Bryce Drysdale had three hits for the Matadors, who fell to 2-6 in league play.