Willow Glen Resident
Sports
Grelli nails second in NCAA 10,000 meters
By Mike Barnhart
Not long ago, Melissa Grelli of Cupertino ran away with races for Presentation High School. As a redshirt sophomore for Georgetown University this past season, Grelli returned to California in grand style.
She captured second place in the women's 10,000-meter finals at the 2007 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento. Grelli, who earned All-America honors for the first time in her young collegiate career, ran 33:01.56 to break Georgetown's school record by seven seconds.
Earlier in the track season, Grelli won the 3,000-meter race at the East Coast Athletic Conference championship meet with a time of 9:31.87.
Lettire All-Ivy League
Former Presentation High pitching standout Jamie Lettire proved to be a valuable addition to Princeton University's softball program last season. Ivy League softball coaches tabbed the freshman from Cupertino as a "utility player" on the second team.
Lettire earned the all-league honor by contributing both in the circle and at the plate, after starting all 20 league games at pitcher or first base.
Four of Lettire's 11 Ivy hits were home runs, and she batted .220 with 15 RBIs. Pitching, Lettire racked up a 5-2 record and a 3.46 earned run average, striking out 39 batters in 56 2/3 innings.
Overall, Lettire played in all but six of Princeton's 53 games, pitching in 24. She was called upon to start in the circle 13 times, and she posted six complete games. She worked 107 2/3 innings, compiling a 3.77 ERA and 82 strikeouts. At the plate, Lettire finished with seven home runs and 23 RBI.
Justice wins CCS award
Greg Justice was named the 2007 Central Coast Section Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. Each year only one male and one female athlete with accomplishments in academics, athletics and service are awarded the honor. Justice, who is a resident of Saratoga and attended Archbishop Mitty, received his honor in April.
Justice was a four-year member of both the basketball and golf teams and was able to handle a difficult load in the classroom, with advanced placement and honors classes along with community service.
Justice was a member of the Principal's Honor Roll, the National Honor Society and the California Scholarship Federation. He was also named a National Merit semifinalist.
He has volunteered with the Special Olympics program as a softball coach, was a YMCA summer camp counselor and also participated in the Mitty-sponsored summer immersion trip to South Africa.
Mitty principal Tim Brosnan said, "Greg is not only a successful scholar, athlete, leader and community builder, he is also a young man of impeccable character. He is very deserving of this honor."
Justice will continue his career at Stanford University in the fall.
Scoffone joins Broncos
Alex Scoffone, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker from Lincoln High, began training with Santa Clara University volleyball this month, joining four other Broncos with local ties.
"We look forward to her competing for a starting middle position as a freshman," Santa Clara coach Jon Wallace said when Scoffone signed her national letter of intent back in April.
San Jose product Nichole Clark returns for her junior season on the mission campus. The 6-foot outside hitter, who was a prep standout at St. Francis, played in 29 matches for the Broncos in 2006 and earned Most Improved honors.
The Broncos will open the season on the road with tournaments in Idaho, Florida and Hawaii before starting the home slate on Sept. 13 against UC-Davis.
Zielazowski model coach
Pam Zielazowski received the 2006-07 CIF Model Coach Award as a tennis and track and field coach at Leigh High School. Zielazowski has been the athletic director and girls tennis coach at Leigh since 2000 and has proven herself dedicated to both her athletes and creating an environment where her players know playing to the best of their ability with a positive attitude is of the utmost importance.
Only 15 coaches in the state received this award this year. It is designed to recognize coaches who have served as positive role models in both the school and the community and who have displayed the 16 principles of Pursuing Victory With Honor.
The model coaches are examples and teachers of six core ethical values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship.
Zielazowski also won the Mackenzie Award for California Athletic Directors in 2004, is on the Blossom Valley Athletic League executive committee and is a member of the CCS board of managers.
Kevin Sparrer contributed to this story.
