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Photograph by Kathy de la Torre
Honored Players: Presentation's Sarah Nadler (1) and Adrianna LeBarron (8) go up for a block in action against St. Ignatius in the 2000 season. Both Nadler and LeBarron won all-league honors this year for the Panthers.
Another MVP season for WG's Livak
Panthers, Rams take top volleyball honors
By Dick Sparrer
To say that Courtney Livak rewrote the record books in girls water polo at Willow Glen wouldn't be quite true.
After all, they haven't been playing girls water polo at Willow Glen all that long. So Livak didn't rewrite the record books--she wrote them!
Livak starred in the Willow Glen waters for four years on the varsity, but was a superstar for the Rams this last season when she led to a second-place finish in the rugged Mount Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and into the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Livak was honored for her super senior season when she was named to the Mount Hamilton Division's most valuable player for the 2001 campaign.
Livak is no stranger to post-season honors. She has won all-league and all-CCS honors in each of her four seasons at Willow Glen, and is the only player to win the league mvp honor three times (as a sophomore, junior and senior). A team captain for the Rams in each of the past three seasons, she is the school's all-time leading scorer with over 250 career goals.
The talented WG polo player recently signed a National Letter-of-Intent to accept a scholarship to play water polo at Indiana University.
"[Livak] caught our attention in her sophomore year and is one of the top high school seniors in the nation," said Indiana water polo coach Barry King. "We look for her to have an immediate impact as soon as she steps on the Indiana campus.
"She has excelled on the playing field and in the classroom, and she has a work ethic that is outstanding."
Livak shared the league's mvp award this fall with Rachel Rhodes, a senior from the league-championship Mitty squad.
Willow Glen's Tim Outtrim was named the coach of the year after leading the Rams to the second-place finish in just his first season as the school's head coach.
Joining Livak on the all-league list were teammates Jamie Watts and Alicia Barretto, a pair of seniors named to the first team, and junior second-team pick Alisson Rice.
Presentation's Lindsay Fraka was tabbed the junior of the year in the Mt. Hamilton Division. Senior Kim Fortson earned a place on the first team the Panthers when senior Juliet Wilson and sophomore Kristen Gause gaining second-team honors.
Boys Water Polo
Junior 2-meter man Kyle Buchanan won a place on the all-league second team in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the BVAL.
Volleyball
Both the Presentation and Willow Glen girls volleyball teams had outstanding seasons in '01, and both were honored with a number of places on the all-league lists.
The Panthers didn't win the title in the Mount Hamilton Division, but they did come back to take the CCS and Northern California Division III championships.
Leading the way for the Panthers were all-league first teamers Taylor Rayfield and Sarah Nadler, a couple of senior outside hitters. Earning second team all-league honors for Presentation were senior setter Shannon Engle and senior middle blocker Adriana LeBaron.
Willow Glen, meanwhile, won the title in the West Valley Division behind the play of sophomore middle blocker Kelly Roseland, who won the league's most valuable player award.
Ester Wang was named the senior of the year, Kelsey Roseland was picked as the sophomore of the year and Travis Warner was selected as the coach of the year for Willow Glen.
Rams winning all-league first team spots were junior middle blocker Jenny Estruth, junior setter Carly Silva and junior outside hitter Julia Garrotto. Second-team spots went to Shante O'Hanlon, Ruth Kompelien and Tiffany Barone.
Field Hockey
Willow Glen was well represented on the Mount Hamilton Division's all-league field hockey team.
Senior forward Jenny Holt and sophomore goalie Marina Mendez of Willow Glen were each named to the all-league first team, and picking up second-team spots were senior back Lindsey Herauf and senior mid Julie Drake.
Breanne Condie of Del Mar, a Willow Glen resident, was named to the all-league field hockey team in the Santa Teresa Division. The senior mid earned a place on the second team.
Football
It was quite a turnaround on the football field at Willow Glen this fall. The Rams battled back from a winless 2000 season to finish 5-5 in 2001, including a 5-2 record and third-place finish in the West Valley Division of the BVAL.
Leading the Rams to that impressive finish were a foursome of all-leaguers, led by senior wide receiver Mark Sarinana and junior quarterback Justin Johnson who each won first-team honors. Senior defensive back Doug Dionne and junior defensive lineman Adrian Morales were named to the second team.
Johnson finished the year with solid numbers. The junior completed 105 passes for 1,266 yards and 14 touchdowns and was intercepted only once. Sarinana was Johnson's favorite target. The senior pulled in 22 passes for 432 yards and six TDs.
Dionne was the club's top tackler with 51 stops, and Morales led the squad with 12 quarterback sacks.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
