Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Junior distance star Zack Regner was second in the 800 and fourth in the mile for Los Gatos at the league finals.




Track program coming back

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Young Wildcats star at league finals

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By Dick Sparrer

There was no league track championship this spring for Los Gatos ... at any level.

But there's no need to worry about the state of track and field at Los Gatos High. Not as far as Gatos coaches Dave Hay and Willie Harmatz are concerned.

"The program is coming back," said Harmatz after the Wildcats finished third in the girls division and fourth in the boys standings at the league finals for the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

"We're really happy with the improvement of the team," added Hay, the LG boys coach.

The coaches have good reason to be happy. Of the 21 boys and girls who placed at the finals last week at Los Gatos, only three are seniors... and 15 are either freshmen or sophomores.

And that doesn't even include the track and field athletes who competed for the girls junior varsity team that finished second at the finals or the boys frosh-soph squad that ended up third.

Farnady, Hennessy star

Varsity champions Anne Farnady and Heather Hennessy are among those talented underclassmen on the Los Gatos squad.

Farnady, a junior, whirled the discus 112-4 1/2 to win an individiual league title. She was also fifth in the shot put with a heave of 32-10.

Hennessy breezed to a first in the 800 meters in 2:18.1. The sophomore remains unbeaten at the distance in competition against Central Coast Section this season.

Hennessy also teamed with senior Amy LaPine and freshmen Racine Lewin and Michelle Beritzhoff for a first-place finish in the 4x400 relay. LaPine ran a 59.2 split, and Hennessy ran 59.9 to lead the Cats to a 4:05.0 team time.

Beritzhoff finished a strong third to Hennessy in the 800 in 2:20.7, and LaPine was fifth in 2:23.0.

"(Beritzhoff) almost beat last year's CCS champion (Maureen Marquess of St. Francis, who was second in 2:20.2)," said Harmatz. "And (LaPine) is coming back from illness. She'll be ready for CCS."

Freshman Kim Christiansen soared 34-11 3/4 for a second in the triple jump. Her mark ranks No. 6 on the all-time list at Los Gatos.

Senior Sarah McAleer romped to a third in the 2-mile in 11:49.0, and freshman Aly Chavez was third in the 400 in 61.7.

Sophomores Emily Obermeier and Emily King each jumped to fourths at the finals. Obermeier was fourth in the high jump at 5-0, and King was fourth in the long jump at 16-3.

Soph Meghan Kirby-McFarland sprinted to a fifth in the 100 meters in 12.7, and Lewin finished sixth in the 300 hurdles in 49.3.


Photograph by Brian Prince

Los Gatos freshman Peter Baunach topped the high jump at 5-11 for a frosh-soph victory.




Boys young, too

The Los Gatos youth movement was just as evident in boys action at the league meet.

Junior Zack Regner, sophomore Russ Martin and freshman Eric Medefessor each placed second for the Wildcats in individual events.

Regner bettered his personal best by two seconds on his way to a 1:57.7 for second in the 800 meters. He was also fourth in the mile in 4:31. Martin romped to a 9:54.0 in the 2-mile to claim second, and Medefessor topped the high jump bar at 5-11 to clinch second. Senior Ryan Smith was third in the high jump at 5-10.

Sophomores Jeff Hoeft, Seung Lee, Matt Bates, Nick Skrabe and Brian Edwards all shone at the league finals.

Hoeft ran 1:58.0 to finish third in the 800 meters. Like Regner, he, too, bettered his previous best by two seconds. Lee, who Hay calls his squad's "most improved runner," was third in the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.5, and Bates was third in the mile in 4:30 and fourth in the 2-mile in 10:19.

Skrabe doubled up for a pair of fourths in the weight events for the Wildcats. The sophomore heaved the shot put 44-0 and tossed the discus 122-91Ž2 for his fourth-place efforts. "Nick is one of the best sophomore throwers in CCS," said Hay.

Edwards raced to a 23.0 to finish fourth in the 200 and he ran a 51.1 400 split on the mile relay. Stone Hsu, a junior, added a sixth in the triple jump at 39-43Ž4.

Freshman Katie Zuparko and Peter Baunach and sophomore Tomas Viramontes topped the effort for the younger teams at the De Anza Division finals.

Zuparko wins

Zuparko was first in the 200 meters in a personal best 27.0 and third in the 100 in 13.1 to lead the Gatos JVs to a team second at the finals. She also teamed with sophomore Cristen McClenathan and seniors Theresa Fuquay and Rebecca Fong for a win in the 4x400 relay in 4:21.0.

Adding seconds for the Cats were McClenathan in the long jump at 15-01Ž2 and Fong in the 400 in 64.8. Fong was also fifth in the 200 in 28.9.

Fuquay was third in the 400 in 65.2 and fifth in the 200 in 28.9, sophomore Nikki Anderson was third in the 800 in a best ever 2:34.0, freshman Sandy Runyan was third in the shot put at 25-81Ž2, freshman Lyndsey Erickson was fourth in the long jump at 14-5 and fifth in the 100 hurdles in 18.9 (both season bests), frosh Mel Lopes was fourth in the 100 hurdles in 18.8, junior Maya Stevens was fourth in the high jump at 4-8 and soph Alison Santana was fourth in the discus at 80-81Ž2.

Viramontes, Baunach first

Viramontes was a double winner for the Cats in the boys frosh-soph division, helping Gatos clinch a team third.

Viramontes was first in the 2-mile in 10:20.9, beating the field by 36 seconds, and he took the mile in 4:38.2, winning by a yard at the finish line with his personal best time. He was also third in the 800 in 2:06.6.

Baunach soared to a win in the high jump with a season best 5-11 effort.

Six sophomores also placed at the finals. Nick McAlpine was second in the shot put at 45-4 1/2, Darren Key was third in the mile in 4:43.4 (his personal best by 11 seconds) and fifth in the 800 in 2:09.6, Payam Mokhtari was third in the high jump at 5-6, Ken Leong was fourth in the 300 hurdles in 46.9, Brian Starr was fifth in the 100 in 11.7 and John Webb was sixth in the 400 in 57.1.

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