The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Cunningham is all-conference

De Anza women win state tennis crown

By Dick Sparrer

Allison Andrade was quite a player and Maggie Del Rio was quite a pitcher for the West Valley Community College women's softball team this spring.

And the coaches of the Coast Conference must have agreed. Because the two players earned special honors recently when the coaches selected their South Division all-conference team.

Andrade and Sheri Savko of Monterey Peninsula College shared the conference player of the year award, and Del Rio was named the pitcher of the year in the division.

Del Rio and Kelly Beal of San Jose City College were two of three pitchers in the South Division honored with places on the all-conference first team.

Catcher Lynee Velasco, first baseman Tamara Tate, infielders Andrade and Briana Nietert, outfielders Teresa Mendez and Amber Manning and utility player Sarah Dudley (Willow Glen) were West Valley players selected to the all-conference first team.

West Valley's veteran coach, Les Hearn, was tabbed the Coast Conference South Division coach of the year.

Catcher Rockie Villa, infielder Angela Dunhour and outfielder Melissa Taku were other San Jose City College players picked to the all-conference first team.

Winning second-team honors for San Jose were outfielder Megan Farnsworth and utility player Christy Smith.

Four West Valley players and San Jose's Taku went on to claim spots on the Louisville Slugger All-American team.

Andrade, Mendez and Dudley were West Valley players honored with places on the All-America first team, and Velasco claimed second-team honors.

Taku also earned a berth on the second team.

Baseball

All-conference first baseman Julian Harris helped the West Valley baseball team earn a berth in the Northern California Regional bracket of the state playoffs.

Harris was named to the all-conference first team in the South Division of the Coast Conference.

Pitchers Anthony Novelli, a starter, and Dan Foley, the Vikings' closer, were named to the all-conference second squad along with teammates Dan Howell at catcher and Melvin Souza and Donovan Minero in the outfield.

Infielder Erik Bakich and utilityman Mike Nunez were San Jose City College players selected to the all-conference first team. Catcher Jason Franks, outfielder Mike Bowlin and designated hitter Kevin Yee were Jaguars picked to the second team.

Outfielder Brandon Macchi of Mission College was another first-team pick in the South Division. First-sacker Troy Marcyes (Leigh) nailed a berth on the second team. Macchi also won a place in the outfield on the all-state team.

Over in the North Division of the Coast Conference, Jeremy Cunningham (Monta Vista) and Scott Grover (Los Gatos) of De Anza were each named to the first team. Cunningham was selected as an all-conference pitcher and Grover was picked as a utility player.

Tennis

Losaline Mafileo and Maka Clark of De Anza won their first two matches before losing in the women's double semifinals at the California Community College State Tennis Championships at the Claremont Club in Claremont, Calif.

The De Anza duo opened with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Yenni Njoo and Shelby McCabe of Marymount, then beat Laila Bush and Amie Hull of Ventura to reach the semis.

But Mafileo and Clark lost 6-0, 6-0 to eventual champions Andrea Garcia and Emi Sakurai of Grossmont.

Tam Nguyen of De Anza won her first match in singles play, beating Marymount's Andrea Smith 6-2, 6-4, but she lost to Sakurai of Grossmont in the second round.

Mafileo lost her first singles match 6-0, 6-0 to Katarina Malec of Desert.

Nguyen and Chisato Kaizuka of De Anza lost in the first round of the doubles tourney 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 to Allison Gerrick and Stephanie Wedell of Palomar.

As a team, De Anza had won the state championship in Claremont, defeating Cuesta College 5-4 in the finals. It marked the first time in the 20-year history of the state playoffs that a Northern California women's team has won the crown.

De Anza rolled through the Coast Conference season to an 11-0 record before beating Butte and Fresno in the Northern California playoffs.

Nguyen, Mafileo, Clark, Kaizuka, Hui Ming Kwan and Lisa Johnson made up the six-member De Anza team that won the state crown for head coach Coleen Lee Wheat.

Track

Jackie Hotchkiss of San Jose City College heaved the discus to an individual first and Isireli Naikelekelevesi and Juan Pablo Miramontes of West Valley each ran to thirds at the State Community College track and field championships held recently at Citrus College.

Hotchkiss whirled the discus 155-1 to win the women's title in the event at the state meet.

Naikelekelevesi was third in the 800 meters in 1:51.47 and Miramontes was third in the 10,000 meters in 31:29.29 to help the Vikings to a team sixth in the meet.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 3, 1998.
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