The Cupertino Courier
Sports
Allemandi, Sparks are flying high at City
By Mike Barnhart
San Jose City College's softball team had its best season ever in 2007, going unbeaten (22-0) en route to the Coast Conference championship. The Jaguars won all of their home games and posted a 42-8 record overall under head coach Debbie Huntze-Rooney.
Two key freshmen as the Jaguars earned the No. 4 ranking in Northern California and finished among the top eight in the state were center fielder-pitcher Jennifer Sparks and catcher Jessica Allemandi.
Sparks (Monta Vista) and Allemandi (Homestead), former high school all-leaguers in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, earned all-conference recognition during their first year in junior college.
Sparks, who made key plays in the outfield and key hits at the plate when she was not pitching, was picked to the Coast Conference's first team. Allemandi, whose hot bat down the stretch produced an RBI double and a home run in the Northern California championship series victory over Ohlone, was a second-team choice.
Grelli runs to 2nd
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.
Iwasaki an Ivy pitcher
In the Ivy League-opening doubleheader against Brown, Lettire ran into another freshman from Cupertino. Former Monta Vista star Jessica Iwasaki was in the circle for Brown in the first game. Iwasaki pitched the distance in that game, but Princeton won 2-0.
Although her team only won 10 games during her first season, Iwasaki put together a team best 3.53 ERA in 89 1/3 innings. She pitched in 19 games, going the distance in nine of her 14 starts. She finished with a 2-10 record, but one of the wins was a shutout.
Pereira in AA rotation
After shining for the Class A San Jose Giants and gaining valuable experience with the AAA Fresno Grizzlies in 2006, Nick Pereira has not missed a start this season for the AA Connecticut Defenders.
Pereira, formerly of Cupertino High and De Anza College, has put together a fine 3.39 earned run average and a 6-9 record in 21 starts for the San Francisco Giants' AA entry in the Eastern League. As of Aug. 4, Pereiera's ERA ranked eighth in the Eastern League, while his strikeout total (96 in 111 2/3 innings) ranked sixth.
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.
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 taems 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.
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.
Kevin Sparrer contributed to this story.
