Out In Leftfield - June 2011

BY BRUCE WARREN

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NIWOT YOUTH SPORTS

The ballfields at Monarch Park will be renamed “Hangge Fields at Monarch Park,” in a ceremony scheduled for Sunday, June 5, at 5 p.m., in honor of volunteer Gregg Hangge and his family’s service to the organization for over 20 years. At the same time, one of the softball fields at Monarch Park will be named Dageenakis Field in recognition of John A. Dageenakis and his family’s long support of Niwot Youth Sports.  All current and former NYS participants, parents and coaches are invited to attend. Opening Day activities, with games, food and raffles, will be held that afternoon.

TRACK

Megan Horsch (Niwot) finished ninth for the University of Northern Colorado in the 1500M with a time of 4:33.67 at the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 14.  She ran the third-fastest 1500M time in school history.  Horsch also finished 13th in the 5000M with a time of 17:57.82.

Sydney Coffey (Niwot) finished ninth in the 100M for Western Washington at the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, just missing qualifying for the finals, with a time of 12.65.  She also finished 15th in the 200M and ran a leg of the 4X100M Relay, which took third. Teammate Miranda Lahman (Niwot) finished 11th in the 400M Hurdles with a time of 1:07.87, also missing out on the finals.

Niwot High grad Mark Roberts has established himself as one of the top track and cross-country coaches in the area.  Roberts has coached at Lyons High School for many years, but May 21 was the culmination of his efforts when both his Lyons boys and girls squads won the Class 2A Track and Field Championships.  Several of Roberts’ children have run well for Lyons over the years, and this year was no exception with daughters Melissa Roberts, second in the 3200M and seventh in the 1600M, and Miriam Roberts, fifth in the 3200M and sixth in the 1600M, upholding the family tradition.  Both girls ran a leg of the winning 4x800M Relay as well.

BASEBALL

Ryan Strufing (Niwot) started and went five-plus innings for Long Beach State in a 14-12 loss to ninth-ranked Cal State Fullerton May 14. Strufing gave up nine runs in the first two innings but settled down to finish with three scoreless innings. He started May 8 against sixth-ranked Arizona State, and gave up five earned runs in four-plus innings, taking the 17-9 loss on the mound. Strufing started the month with a 5-2 win over Cal Poly May 1. He started and pitched five-plus innings, allowing one earned run with four strikeouts. On the season, Strufing is 3-2 with a 5.24 ERA.  He has allowed only 44 hits in 44 plus innings, with 30 strikeouts.

Cody Lahman (Niwot) has a 1-0 record, pitching nine games in relief for Mesa State.  Lahman has allowed 13 hits in 14 innings, with 13 strikeouts and a 6.43 ERA. Lahman picked up his first save of the season, coming into the seventh inning of a game against Colorado State-Pueblo with a 5-2 lead and CSU threatening.  Lahman did not allow a hit and left the bases loaded to preserve the 5-4 win.

Chris Harris (Holy Family) of Niwot finished the season with a record of 4-6 on the mound for Briar Cliff University, leading the team in complete games with six, including one shutout.  Harris struck out 40 in 60 innings while walking only 14, and posted an ERA of 4.90.  Batters hit only .235 against him, also tops on the team among starting pitchers.  In conference games, he was 4-1 with a 2.41 ERA.  In his last game of the season, Harris limited Morningside to one earned run in a 7-2 victory in which he allowed only three hits, striking out five and walking one.  Harris received Honorable Mention All-Conference in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

Danny Bote (Niwot) has coached the Faith Christian team to a No. 1 ranking in Class 3A, and a berth in the state tournament.  Bote took over the program this spring, with his father, Bob Bote, former NHS coach, serving as an assistant.  One of the top players is shortstop David Bote, Danny’s younger brother.  Faith Christian beat Olathe, 3-1 before clobbering defending state champion Holy Family, 20-1.  Faith Christian is in the winner’s bracket and will battle for the state title May 27-28.

Chaz Kramer (Silver Creek) finished the season for Puget Sound with a .248 batting average, one homerun and 15 RBI’s.  Kramer, an outfielder, started 28 of 34 games, and was 4-5 in stolen bases.  Kramer had a double and scored a run in a 10-6 loss to Willamette April 30.  He also scored a run the next day in the last game of the season, a 4-1 win over Willamette.  Teammate Zach LaBorde (Niwot) pitched in four games for Puget Sound, all in relief.  LaBorde had no win-loss record, but compiled a 4.76 ERA.  He allowed five hits in five-plus innings of work. LaBorde finished a 9-1 loss to Willamette, giving up one unearned run in two-thirds of an inning April 30. Puget Sound finished 17-17 on the season.

Ben Packard (Niwot) is hitting .385 for the University of Northern Colorado this season, tops on the team among regulars.  Packard has four homers and his 39 RBI’s are second-best on the team.  He went 4-5 with three doubles in a 4-3 win over Utah Valley May 20. Packard also had three hits including a double in an 18-6 loss to Utah Valley earlier in the day.  He added two hits and two RBI’s in a 7-5 win over Chicago State.

In a 4-game series sweep against North Dakota May 6-8, Packard had 12 hits in16 official at bats, scoring 12 runs and driving in 15. He also had a walk-off homerun against North Dakota.   For his efforts, Packard was named the Great West Conference Player of the Week.

Niwot seniors Connor Messinger and Dylan Kaczeus will play for the Longmont Twins Connie Mack/Legion A team this summer. Niwot High head coach Craig McBride and Skyline High assistant Dale Nehls will run the team, which includes players from all of the Longmont high schools.  McBride will be the head coach of the Niwot Legion B team, which will include most of next season’s varsity players, many of whom already have a year of varsity experience.  Former NHS player and coach Parker Jones will assist, along with current NHS assistant coach George Sypher.  NHS JV coach Bobby Matthews and former NHS player Brady Oleszcuk will coach the Niwot Legion C team, which will include primarily current freshmen and sophomores. Former NHS players Ben Raynor and Sam Distefano will coach the Legion D team of incoming freshmen.

SOFTBALL

Carly Potock (Alexander Dawson) of Niwot finished the season with a .293 batting average for Lehigh University.  Potock, a senior outfielder who began her competitive softball career in Niwot Youth Sports, tied for the team lead with three triples. She added two home-runs, and drove in 26 runs, fourth best on the squad.  Her .463 slugging percentage was third highest. Lehigh won the Patriot League Tournament and qualified for the NCAA tournament, but lost to No.11-ranked Baylor, 4-0, in the first round.  The season ended with an 11-0 loss to Maryland in the next game.  Coach Fran Troyan acknowledged Potock’s contributions to the team in his post-game comments, saying, “Carly was a great leader for us.” Potock scored two runs for Lehigh in a 6-4 win over Holy Cross in the semi-finals of the conference tournament.

Jennessa Tesone (Niwot) had her season come to an end May 14 when Metro State suffered a 2-1 loss to Winona State.  Tesone, who bats third in the lineup, walked in all four plate appearances for Metro State. Although none of the walks were intentional, the last three came on 3-1 counts. She finished her career as the all-time homerun leader for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with 56.

Tesone had a double with a run scored and an RBI in a 7-3 win over UCCS May 5.  She had a monster series, ending in a 10-7 win over the University of Nebraska at Kearney in the second game of a doubleheader May 1.  Tesone had two home-runs, scoring three times and driving in four runs.  She also had two hits in the first game of the doubleheader against Kearney, a 5-4 loss. The day before, Tesone had three hits, including a homerun, with three runs and four RBI’s in the first game, followed by a four hits, including three homers, with four runs scored and four RBI’s in the nightcap.  Metro State won both games, 17-5 in the first game, and 14-1 in the second game.

Tesone was named National Player of the Week on May 4 by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, becoming only the second Metro State player to be so honored.  She put together what the Association described as “a phenomenal week at the plate,” batting .688 and slugging 1.875 with six home runs.  Tesone finished with a game-winning home run that gave Metro State a share of its third consecutive RMAC regular season championship. She had at least two hits in each game and drove in 12 runs in four games, while scoring 11 times. She was also named RMAC Conference Player of the Week.

Tesone was named to the Daktronics All-Central Region first team, voted on by Sports Information Directors in the Central region. She ranks in the top-100 nationally in home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage, runs scored and on-base percentage.  Tesone finished the season hitting .396 with 14 home runs and 14 doubles, 50 RBI’s and 49 runs scored.  She also had a .762 slugging percentage and a .479 on-base percentage.  The National Fastpitch Coaches Association named Tesone to the second team All-Central Region. She was also All-Conference for the RMAC.

Bobby Matthews has been named the new head coach for the Niwot High Softball Team.  Matthews, who works at Niwot High in campus security, formerly coached the Longmont High program.  Matthews takes over for April Martinez, who resigned to spend more time with her family.  Matthews was an assistant coach under Martinez before taking the reigns at Longmont.  He also serves as the JV coach for Niwot High baseball.

SWIMMING

Eric Fischer (Niwot) completed his freshman season at Denison University, a Division III powerhouse.  He took second in the 400 IM and third in the 100 Backstroke at the Fredonia State Blue Devil Invite in December.  Fischer swam at the NCAC Conference Championships and his times would have placed in the top eight in the 500 Freestyle and the 400 IM, but Denison had too many other swimmers in the event. Denison went on to win the Conference Championship over rival Kenyon College. Fischer just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships but went to Knoxville to cheer on his teammates, who beat 31-time champion Kenyon College by one point. Fischer even got into a few pictures on TV at the meet.

Christine Jennings (Niwot) was interviewed on ESPN.com by Bonnie D. Ford concerning an open water race held in tribute to her late teammate, Fran Crippen, who died in an open water race last summer.  Jennings, a world class swimmer, described the Fort Lauderdale Fran Crippen Safe Swim as showing the world what it was like “to hold a safe race, in honor of Fran.” She finished second in the race, held May 7. Jennings is training for the World Championships, which will be held in Fort Lauderdale in July.  She finished sixth in Cancun on April 30, with only one or two seconds separating third and ninth place.  Jennings noted that she missed two of the four feeds during the race, with other swimmers knocking the food out of her cup both times.  As a result, she became disoriented towards the end of the race and had no energy for her trademark finish.

Alex Bisping (Silver Creek), a sophomore at Colorado School of Mines, earned second team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors in the 100 Breaststroke, and third team All RMAC honors as part of the 200 Medley Relay.  His time in the Breaststroke was a “B” cut time in the prelims at the RMAC Championships.  He also finished fifth as part of the 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays at the RMAC Championships and fourth as part of the 400 Medley Relay.

C.T. Robinson, Silver Creek senior, signed a National Letter of Intent to dive for the University of Wyoming next year.  Robinson finished second at state in Class 4A, with a performance worthy of All-American consideration.  Robinson credits former Raptor diver Kyle Stewart with encouraging him to start diving.  Stewart dives for the CU club team now. “He threatened me into diving my sophomore year,” Robinson said. “He said if I joined the team he’d stop hurting me.”

Silver Creek diver CT  Robinson (seated) signed a letter of intent for the University of Wyoming.  Standing (l to r) former Silver Creek diver Kyle Stewart, swim coach Debbie Stewart, Silver Creek Athletic Director Phil Borchelt and Principal Sherri Schumann.

HOCKEY

Logan Fauber, eighth-grade Alexander Dawson student, was selected for the USA Hockey National Player Development Camp in Rochester, NY July 8-14.  Fauber was selected at the Colorado State Camp in March to attend the Rocky Mountain District Camp in Salt Lake City May 5-8. After the District Camp, he was one of five Colorado attendees invited to the National Camp. Fauber will also be representing Colorado at the United States Roller Hockey Championships (commonly referred to as State Wars) in Cincinnati in August. He will be a freshman at Niwot High School in the fall.

CHEERLEADING

Niwot High School Athletic Director Jim Butterfield has hired Nicolette Griffith as the new coach of the Cheerleading squad.  “She comes to Niwot with a wealth of experience, and we are very excited for the direction she will take our Cheer program,” Butterfield said. She replaces Kristen Bishop.