Los Gatos Weekly-Times


Jill Peckler	Marisa Segnitz

Former Wildcats take their talents to college

By Dick Sparrer

Jill Peckler was quite the softball star during her playing days in Los Gatos.

The 1993 Gatos grad played four years of varsity softball for the Wildcats, and her talents on the diamond--coupled with an impressive four-year career on the tennis courts--earned her the outstanding senior athlete award in her final year of high school.

So to see Peckler excel as a collegiate athlete should come as no surprise. But in track and field?

Peckler changed sports when she gave up both the diamond and the court in favor of track when she arrived at UC-Davis. But one thing hasn't changed--she's still a winner.

The former Gatos star romped to a first-place finish in the 1,500-meter run at the Northern California Athletic Conference finals. She stopped the watch at 4:34.54, finishing more than 14 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.

Peckler lowered her time to a season-best 4:31.38 at the Santa Monica Invitational to qualify for the NCAA Division II qualifying meet, and in her first year on the track advanced to the finals by finishing second in her heat in 4:34.73.

As if that wasn't impressive enough, Peckler went on to finish eighth in the 1,500 finals to earn All-American status.

It was the culmination of a brilliant season for the former Wildcat. She had qualified for the conference finals in her first ever meet, running 4:49 in the 1,500 and 2:15 in the 800.

She went on to compete against top Division I and Division II runners at the rugged California/Nevada State Track and Field Championships and finished a solid fourth in 4:37.83 in the 32-runner field.

Peckler doesn't just star on the track at UC-Davis. She is also a genetics major and boasts a solid 3.5 grade-point average.

Segnitz to Cal

Los Gatos field hockey star Marisa Segnitz will be slapping the ball around the college campus next fall. But not just any college campus--Segnitz has committed to UC-Berkeley.

Segnitz was a two-time all-leaguer at Los Gatos and led the Wildcats to a Central Coast Section championship.

"Marisa is by far one of the best kids I've ever coached," Gatos coach Henry Reyes said. "In my opinion, she's one of the top players to come out of California. She will make an immediate contribution to the Cal team."

Segnitz, a Gatos co-captain, was selected to represent California at the National Tournament in College Park, Maryland, last summer.

Varozza stars

Former Los Gatos swimming star Julie Varozza had an outstanding freshman season on the women's swimming team at the University of Georgia.

Varozza won All-American honors for the Lady Bulldogs, placing in two events at the NCAA championships.

Varozza bettered her season best by three seconds to finish third in the 500 freestyle in 4:44.52, and she came back to nail sixth in the 1,650 free in 16:20.71.

She also swam a leg on Georgia's All-American 800 free relay team.

The Bulldogs were seventh in 7:19.87.

It was quite a showing for Varozza, who had entered the NCAA meet ranked 10th in the 500 and 17th in the 1,650.

Smith strikes gold

Keyston Smith, a 1995 Los Gatos graduate, won a gold medal at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championship in Sacramento as a member of the crew team at Seattle Pacific.

Smith, a freshman oarsman, was in the men's novice fours open weight division boat that finished first in a course record time, 6:55. It was the fourth best time in the overall fours competition.

By finishing first in the conference, the Seattle Pacific team earned a place in the National Intercollegiate Rowing Championships in Camden, NJ.

Smith and company placed first in the petite division of the men's freshman heavyweight fours with an open water time of 6:43.

In overall fours competition, Seattle Pacific finished seventh in the national field.