Willow Glen Resident
Sports
Local athletes star at the collegiate level
By Mike Barnhart
As San José State University men's soccer team prepares for the 2006 season, former Leland High School standout Richard Mann looks forward to his second season as the Spartans' starting goalkeeper.
Mann, a four-time all-Blossom Valley Athletic League performer for coach Dave Gold, sat out his first season at SJSU after graduating from Leland in 2004 but took over as the Spartans' top goalie last fall. He started every game for SJSU, and finished second among Mountain Pacific Sports Federation goalies with a 1.13 goals-against average and fourth in saves with 3.63 per game. Four shutouts, a season-best game of seven saves at Cal State Fullerton and an all-MPSF honorable mention laurel highlighted Mann's freshman year.
Mann is one of just four returning starters for the Spartans, who opened the new season Aug. 27 against Fullerton. Among many newcomers bidding to break into the SJSU line-up are freshman Colby Moore (Bellarmine) and sophomore Matt Schembri (Westmont, De Anza College).
Moore, a Los Gatos resident, was a first-team all-West Catholic Athletic League selection during his junior season at Bellarmine and was the Bells' team MVP as a senior. The SCC Breakers, the 6-foot forward prospect's club team, were State Cup champions and regional semifinalists earlier this year.
Schembri, a 6-foot midfielder, scored 52 goals and had 50 assists as a four-year varsity starter at Westmont. After one season at De Anza College (2004), he transferred to SJSU, where he redshirted last year. Schembri was a "Scholar Athlete" award winner for the Spartans.
SJSU head coach Gary St. Clair is beginning his 17th season at his alma mater, following 13 seasons combined at West Valley College and Leland. Ron Smare, another alum who has coached alongside St. Clair for 16 seasons, recently was promoted to associate head coach for the Spartans. Smare, also a teacher and girls soccer coach at Branham High, previously was the head coach at Del Mar for 13 seasons and Mission College for six.
Fourth-year SJSU assistant Chris Behler previously served as assistant coach to former Spartan Mani Hernandez for three seasons at Presentation. His stint included 2002, the year the Panthers were co-champions of the Central Coast Section.
Two 2006 Presentation graduates, Nina Butera and Roxanna Kamal, along with Los Gatos Elite club teammate Katie Bonadies, are three newcomers to San José State's women's program. While Butera competes with two redshirt freshmen for the Spartans' goalkeeper job, Kamal vies for a midfield position and Bonadies--a three-time SCVAL-De Anza Division MVP while at Los Gatos High--seeks a forward spot.
One of the Spartans' best returning players is sophomore Liz Behlen of Sunnyvale, the Western Athletic Conference's Freshman of the Year last season. Behlen, who played club soccer for the Sunnyvale Roadrunners and was a three-time all-league performer at St. Francis High, led SJSU's offense with eight goals and 20 points a year ago.
Another returnee is sophomore Kelly Madej, who played three seasons for Archbishop Mitty and club soccer for the De Anza Clash.
Other Bay Area college soccer players who prepped locally include Katherine Kimure (Homestead) at University of San Francisco, Jeremy Cleveland (Los Gatos) is a freshman at Cal Poly. Ben Hancock (Leigh) is a junior transfer, who played defender at West Valley.
In aquatics, Bellarmine graduate Tim Watts has accepted a swimming scholarship to Purdue University. His sister, Marisa, is a Purdue record holder who is now the aquatics coach at Presentation.
Watts, who plans to study computer graphics with an emphasis in construction designs, has notched top marks of 23.20 in the 50-yard backstroke and 50.98 in the 100 back.
Jessica Buffum, a three-time all-league volleyball performer at Lynbrook, has begun her second season at Georgetown. The 5-foot-10 sophomore outside hitter played in 16 matches as a freshman and proved to be an impact player for the Hoyas. She was fourth on the squad in digs (152) and notched 117 kills. Georgetown will play in the Stanford Invitational Sept. 14-16.
Santa Clara comes into the women's season ranked sixth nationally in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The defending West Coast Conference champions return five starters, including 20-4 Los Gatos graduate Caroline Walters. The 5-9 junior libero started all 32 matches for the Broncos last season, distinguishing herself as one of the conference's best back-row players.
A recent Los Gatos grad, 6-1 Nina Sevastopoulos, is one of six freshmen joining the Broncos for the 2006 season. Lauryn Dowd (Leigh) and Heather Middleton (Mitty) also are new to SCU.
Sophomore Nichole Clark (St. Francis) is one of 10 returning players for Santa Clara.
University of California's squad includes Bryte Nielsen, a 5-11 sophomore who played three seasons for Saratoga High before finishing her prep career at Los Gatos. Alexa Anderson, a teammate of Nielsen at Los Gatos, is a sophomore on the roster of University of Pacific.
Another fall women's sport that is revving up is field hockey, and the California roster is filled with talent that graced local high school fields in years past.
The Golden Bears' offensive attack will include Los Gatos sisters, junior Jenny Crane and sophomore Missy Crane, both played at St. Francis. Jenny scored eight goals last season, while Missy tallied seven goals and two assists as a redshirt freshman a year ago. Kellie York (Saratoga), a redshirt freshman this year, sophomores Katie Cummings (Monta Vista) and Gwen Belomy (Saratoga) and true freshmen Natalie Nurnberg (Leigh) and Kathryn Kamenski (St. Francis) also could figure into coach Shelly Onstead's offensive schemes.
The starting goalkeeper likely will be sophomore Veronica Sykes (Del Mar), who started 19 games and recorded 65 saves as a freshman. Other team members include senior Jamie Nance (Leigh) and sophomores Christina McGrath (St. Francis) and Jamie Sibilia (Monta Vista).
