The Sunnyvale Sun
Sports
Tsai leads pack headed to CCS finals
Hsu, Worsham also set for return trip
By MIKE BARNHART
As the track and field season comes down the home stretch, several local athletes are entering foreign territory--the Central Coast Section finals. All but three of the 11 Fremont Union High School District students that have qualified for the CCS championship meet will be newcomers.
Homestead senior thrower William Tsai and Monta Vista distance runners Angela Hsu and Lisa Worsham will be repeat competitors at the finals May 26 at San José City College. Field events begin at 4 p.m., and the first track final is set for 6 p.m. Eight finalists will vie in each event, except for the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs, which will feature 12.
Tsai, who placed second in the boys discus and fifth in the shot put a year ago, had the top qualifying discus effort at the CCS semifinals May 20 at San José City. He hurled the platter 175-3, nearly 4 feet shy of his winning heave (178-10) a week earlier at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Qualifier, but 2 feet better than his winning effort at the El Camino Division meet on May 3. If he continues his consistency, Tsai likely will earn a return trip to the state meet, as no challenger has reached 170.
The top three finishers in each CCS contest qualify for the CIF State championships, June 2-3 at Cerritos College in Southern California.
Tsai also qualified sixth in the shot put (51-7), about 3 feet less than his top mark, 54-6, which he posted while winning the SCVAL Qualifier a week earlier at Los Gatos High.
Tsai will be joined in the boys competition by Cupertino senior Travis Scibetta and Lynbrook junior Sameer Thadani. Scibetta qualified second in the triple jump by bounding 46-0 and sixth in the long jump (21-10), while Thadani eked out the last spot in the 100 field.
Homestead sophomore Sarah Engle, one of just six girls in the CCS to pole vault 11-0 this season, qualified fifth for the finals with an effort of 10-6. Other area girls joining Engle in the CCS finals will be Cupertino triple jumper Melanie Boyle and six Monta Vista athletes, Hsu (1,600), Worsham (3,200), Jean Feng (1,600, 3,200), Maria Nelson (100, 200), Julia Co (long jump) and Helena Montin (high jump).
Among the boys non-qualifiers were Jay Atkins (100) and Rishi Agrawal (800) of Homestead, and Fremont's Kevin Schneider (3,200) and Elijah Carrillo (1,600), along with the boys 400 relay team. All had qualified for the CCS Semifinals by placing among the top five at the SCVAL Qualifier meet at Los Gatos.
Atkins, who ran11.36 for third place in the qualifier, placed third (11.54) in his semifinals heat, but did not qualify for Friday's finals. Agrawal, who had placed fifth in both the El Camino and qualifier meets, finished seventh in his semifinal heat in 2:02.92.
Schneider, who had placed second at the El Camino meet and third in SCVAL, ran 14th in the semifinals and finished just two spots out of the finals field.
The Firebirds' 400-meter relay team of Brian Wong, Joe Maes, LaQuintin Cathey and Ryan Staab ran 44.89 in the semifinals, but did not qualify for the CCS finals.
Fremont junior Kimberly Culclager placed sixth at the SCVAL qualifier, one place away from advancing to the finals.
Knights reach semi's
Several athletes from The King's Academy qualified for the CCS Semifinals with fine performances in the Private Schools Athletic League championship meet, but none made it through to the CCS finals.
The Knights' semifinals participants included sprinters Jacob Bliss, Colin Foshay, Tyler Aagard, Jessica Butelo and Catherine Haas, hurdlers Ruth Maunts and Alanna Hartley, distance runners Kristen Butelo, Priya Pappu and Sean Robinson and jumpers Carolyn Scott and Christina Chang.
Play-off teams fall
Seniors Lisa Walker and Rebecca Schulenberg sparked The King's Academy to a 9-0 victory over Mercy of Burlingame in the first round of the CCS Division III softball play-offs May 18 at Hawes Park in Redwood City. But, two days later, the Knights were ousted 6-0 by Burlingame.
Walker homered, tripled and singled for the Knights, who scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and led 9-0 after three. Meanwhile, Schulenberg pitched a 4-hitter and took advantage of errorless defense by her teammates.
The Knights, who finished an outstanding season with a 21-2-1 record, will lose six seniors from their current roster: Walker, Schulenberg, Katelyn Kruger, Sam Mix, Cherol Tomer and Elisa Tran.
In the Division I playoffs, Homestead dropped its first-round assignment. Piedmont Hills broke up a 1-1 tie with a run in the top of the sixth, then held on to knock off Homestead, 2-1, at the Salinas Sports Complex.
Jessica Allemandi, who entered the game as the Mustangs' leading hitter (.413 batting average), drove in the team's only run in the bottom of the fourth.
The Mustangs, who finished the season with a 15-11 record, will lose just four players to graduation: Allemandi, pitcher Melanie Gularte, first baseman Courtney Gosnell and outfielder Rachel Nishimoto.
In the Division III baseball tournament, The King's Academy (13-10) suffered an 11-1 defeat to top seed Carmel May 20 at Monterey Peninsula College. The Knights were outhit 11-3 by the Padres, who improved their record to 24-6.
Senior outfielder Caleb Rosado's run-scoring single in the top of the fifth broke up the shutout, but did not prevent the game from being stopped after four innings because of the mercy rule. Rosado and fellow seniors Danny Clarkson, Tim Svozil and Tim Liu played their final games for the Knights.
