The Sunnyvale Sun
Sports
Kevin Schneider races to Watermelon win
By MIKE BARNHART
No course records fell at Fremont's annual Watermelon Run, though wrestling coach Bobby Soto's 13-year-old alumni record was threatened. But a record number of participants took advantage of wonderful weather to earn and eat more melons than ever before.
The 24th annual run for fun around the Sunnyvale school's campus featured 296 runners, young and old, student and staff, parent and child, strollers and at least one dog. And the 80-degree temperature made the record 59 watermelons a welcomed treat.
In his first Watermelon Run race as an alumnus, Kevin Schneider, a few months removed from graduation and just a few days from going off to college, was the overall winner. He covered the 2.05-mile course in 10 minutes, 39 seconds. It was five seconds faster than 2004 when he set the junior class record, but it was seven seconds shy of Soto's alumni mark set in 1993. That year Soto finished 19 seconds behind Mike Powers, a senior at the time. Powers' mark of 10:13 still exists as the best Watermelon time ever.
Schneider and senior Elijah Carrillo (10:44) crossed the finish line well ahead of the other runners.
Sophomores Jeffrey Doelling (12:21) and Jose Gurrolla finished three seconds apart, and junior Adam Mattos was a second behind Gurrolla. Alumnus Jeff Rosado, now a teacher and assistant track coach at Cupertino High, finished sixth in 12:26, a stride behind Mattos. Junior Tim Shen (12:30), community member Tim Parsons (12:43) and sophomores V.J. Viray (12:45) and Ben Polgar (12:47) rounded out the top 10.
Soto, now a special education teacher at Fremont, placed 17th in 13:23, nearly three minutes off the pace of his best Watermelon run 13 years ago, but still fast enough to top all other Fremont coaches and staff.
Other division winners included Jason Townsend, a Fremont social studies teacher and Homestead's varsity boys basketball coach, who was the top stroller finisher. Townsend and daughter Grace negotiated the course in 13:55, 23rd overall. Katharine Sims, with children Colin and Shannon, was the first woman stroller pusher to cross.
Student class winners were seniors Carrillo and Kara Doelling (16:27), juniors Mattos and Anna lam (15:52), sophomores J. Doelling and Alexa Wallin (15:17) and freshmen Joe Johnson (14:10) and J.T. Wozniak (15:08). Top alumna was Sueh Parsons at 13:55 and fastest Fremont staff members, excluding Soto, were Josh Maisel (13:49) and Tracy Fritz (15:17). Stan Schneider (14:39) and Ivy Orcutt (14:54) were the best parent runners, while Ruben Zamora (15:42) and Leslie Frakavilla claimed the awards for Fremont classified employees and Dorothy Abreu was the top administrator. Andrea Neubauer was the first female Fremont coach to finish and Kory Headley topped all female Fremont Educators Association members.
The coveted Fremont staff trophy was a tightly contested battle, but the math department prevailed, keeping its streak going for a record 10th year in a row. Other participants included Dean Disher, a Sunnyvale Public Safety Officer, the Schneiders' dog and Ben Townsend, the youngest competitor. The sibling with the best time was Mike Alba (13:16).
Unique running apparel seemed to take over the course, with school teams proudly displaying their team pride and unity, according to Pat Lawson, a Fremont teacher and the event's organizer and director.
Rosado was one of many teachers from Cupertino High taking part in the fun run.
"The Watermelon Run is spreading out amongst our educational peers with a record number of FEA members, specifically Team Tino," Lawson noted. "Maybe next year, the Silver 25th annual run, there will be runners from all four district school staffs."
