Willow Glen Resident

Sports

Willow Glen foursome runs in national meet

By Kevin Sparrer

Marcos Corona, Mohamed Abdalla, Nohe Lema and Nati Wolde made Willow Glen High School nationally known. The four represented the Rams at the Nike Outdoor Track and Field Championships in North Carolina and finished 18th in the country in the 4xmile relay.

Most importantly perhaps is that three of the four runners are returning next year to compete for the Rams. Corona was the only senior on the elite team. Abdalla will return next year for his senior year while both Lema and Wolde are only going to be juniors in the fall.

The quartet completed the race in 18:13.42, which was ahead of almost half of the pack of 30 competing teams.

The winner of the event was Collegiate, a private prep academy from New York that finished in 17:19.

Willow Glen receives a little extra excitement knowing that not only was it able to finish in the top 20, but it did so the first time it had ever qualified for the event.

"I'm very proud of my runners," said head coach Victor Santamaria. "They have truly come a long way since their freshmen years. They have all overcome so much personal and family adversity, and they keep on working hard and staying dedicated. As a result, they have earned the opportunity to compete at the nationals and to travel and experience the world in a way few people ever do."

The Rams were also named the No. 4 team in all of California for their performance. Abdalla and Corona stood out, running their mile legs in 4:21 and 4:23, respectively.

Due to some injuries late in the season, Wolde and Lema suffered a little during the nationals. Wolde finished the mile in 4:47, and Lema was 4:40. Unfortunately those times were not close to their personal bests, but Abdalla and Corona helped balance the situation and made it possible to still place high.

"These are fine young men who are all doing extremely well academically and are all aspiring to attend top universities," said Santamaria. "Having three members of the team returning who have made it to the national championships will certainly help elevate the boys varsity team in their quest to reach the same level in cross country."

He added, "The kids had a great experience traveling to an area of the country that not only has some of the top universities in the nation, but also the highest number of PhDs per capita in the country. Overall it was a phenomenal experience and the boys have certainly grown in many ways from this trip."

The Rams also wanted to extend their thanks to Leale's Transmission, Ray Silva Insurance Associates and the many Willow Glen community members who donated funds to help make the trip possible.

U.S. picks Wagner

Aly Wagner, who has dedicated much of her life to the game of soccer, recently was rewarded with an appointment to the U.S. national team roster for the 2007 Women's World Cup.

The former Santa Clara University and Presentation High star and 20 other women will represent the U.S., Sept. 10-30, in China.

The selection marks the second time that Wagner will compete on the grandest stage for women's soccer. She previously saw action in four matches at the 2003 Women's World Cup held in the United States. She also was a member of the 2004 Olympic squad that claimed the gold medal in Athens, Greece.

Another former Santa Clara standout, Leslie Osborne, will be one of Wagner's 20 teammates in the 16-team tournament.

Nott an Olympian

Andrea Nott, a synchronized swimmer from San Jose, secured a trip to Beijing, China, for the 2008 Summer Olympics with a pair of gold medal performances during the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro recently.

The Pan Am victories in the duet and team competitions earned Nott a position on the U.S. Olympic team. She paired with Christina Jones of Fremont to win the duet over teams from Canada and Brazil, and she was part of the 10-member U.S. squad that won the team competition.

Nott, 25, started synchro swimming with the Santa Clara Aquamaids when she was 9 years old. This summer's Pan-Am experience was part of her 10th appointment to the national team.

Mike Barnhart contributed to this story.