High School Reunion: 2003-04 Athletes of the Year

Editor's note 

Online sports producer Drew McCullough is spending his summer digging through Star archives and compiling a list of every high school athlete of the year since 1999. Today: 2003-04. 

Football player of the year 

Name: Tyler Graunke 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Football 

From the archives: Salpointe’s senior QB broke city passing records with 3,372 yards and 38 touchdowns, both totals second-best in Arizona high school history. — Greg Hansen, 2003

Girls volleyball player of the year 

Name: Jenn Adam 

School: Sabino 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls volleyball 

From the archives: Senior Jenn Adam led the Sabercats into 4A second round. — Danny Van Klaveren, 2003

Boys cross country runner of the year 

Name: Kenny Cormier 

School: Douglas 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Boys cross country 

From the archives: The Class 4A state championship race was dominated by Southern Arizona runners. Kino champion Kenny Cormier of Douglas was third in 16:16. — Larry Silver, 2003

Girls cross country runner of the year 

Name: Ellen Mork 

School: Flowing Wells 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls cross country 

From the archives: After Ellen Mork crossed the finish line as the state 5A cross country champion Saturday, Flowing Wells coach Mandee Fish greeted the junior with tears.

Mork, who finished second in the Southern Region on Nov. 1, narrowly defeated Kristen Phillips of Phoenix Mountain Pointe in a time of 19 minutes 11 seconds on the 3.1-mile course at Anthem Community Center.

Phillips finished in 19:15, followed by Phoenix Desert Vista senior Katie Sammons (19:21).

Mork entered the regional undefeated in dual meets, but lost the showdown to Jami Perez of Sierra Vista Buena by 19 seconds.

"I am glad I lost the regional race," Mork said. "I felt pressure again, and it made me realize that there was real competition out there." — Larry Silver, 2003

Boys golfer of the year 

Name: David McDaniel 

School: Canyon del Oro 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys golf 

From the archives: Canyon del Oro's David McDaniel won the Southern Region for the last two years. — Star staff, 2003

Girls golfers of the year 

Name: Sara Brown 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls golf 

From the archives: Sara Brown said she knows only one way for a high school golf season to end, and it never seems to go the way she plans.

For the fourth straight year, the Salpointe Catholic senior fell short of winning the individual Class 5A state tournament title, and Salpointe had to settle for its fourth straight second-place finish Thursday to perpetual team champion Phoenix Xavier Prep.

Brown, who entered the final round at the par-72 Aguila Golf Course tied for first with Xavier's Amanda Blumenherst, bogeyed four holes on the back nine on her way to a 4-over 76 and a two-day total of 145.

She finished fourth, marking the fourth time she has placed in the top 10. Brown tied for third last year, finished eighth as a sophomore and tied for seventh in her freshman season.

Blumenherst, meanwhile, secured herself a spot in the record book of high school girls golf in Arizona. The Xavier junior shaved three strokes off her first-round tally with a 6-under 66 Thursday.

Blumenherst's two-day score of 135 broke the state record of 138, held by current LPGA Tour player Grace Park when she was at Scottsdale Horizon in 1995.

For Brown, her final-round performance signaled the end of a storied career that began in a similar fashion.

She kept pace with the state's best on the first day, but could not trump Xavier's finest on the tournament's final day, just as in her three previous years.

"I thought I set myself up for something good with the 69 in the first round, but the putts weren't falling for me today," said Brown, who has verbally committed to play at Michigan State next fall. "I had fun, though. High school golf is over, and now I'm ready for college." — Tyler Hansen, 2003

Name: Andrea Ratigan 

School: Rincon/University 

Year in school: Sophomore 

Sport: Girls golf 

From the archives: In conditions fit more for sailing, neither wind nor cold could stop Rincon/University sophomore Andrea Ratigan from repeating as girls golf 4A state champion.

Ratigan trailed first-round leader Jen Sun of Scottsdale Chaparral by three shots heading into Tuesday’s final round at the par-72 Sun Dance Golf Club in Buckeye.

But Tuesday’s 79 propelled Ratigan to a two-day 163 for a two-stroke victory over Cienega’s Stephanie Conn. Sun shot a second-day 85 to finish at 166.

“It feels good,” said Ratigan, who won last year by one stroke. “I’m disappointed I couldn’t have played better, and I feel bad for Jen Sun because she’s a good golfer. It was tough for everyone out there.”

Ratigan’s win helped the Rangers to a third-place finish. Cave Creek Cactus Shadows held on for the team crown at 715, and Catalina Foothills was second, 12 strokes back.

Ratigan was one of only two golfers to break 80 during the tournament, the other being Conn.

“The weather was a huge factor,” Rincon coach Shelly Haywood said. “The wind chill …¤couldn’t have gotten above 40 degrees. But we had a good dinner meeting,” he said about Monday “and talked about how the wind helps teams and players.”

Ratigan listened and improved her second-day score by five strokes. She credited her play around the greens as the difference.

“I couldn’t get my iron shots close to the pin,” Ratigan said. “So I was relying on my short game.”

After winning state as a freshman, Ratigan said she definitely felt the strain of being the golfer to beat in 2003.

“There was a lot of pressure in defending my title,” Ratigan said. “But it was a lot of fun because I enjoy competing.”

With the high school season over, Ratigan now will focus on adding distance to her game. She already has begun lifting weights.

“I already hit it straight,” she said. “But I want to hit it farther, maybe 10-15 yards.” —  Chris Davis, 2003

Boys swimmer of the year 

Name: Geof Davis 

School: Sabino 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys swimming and diving 

From the archives: The Sabercats' Geof Davis won the 100 breast, as well as the 200 individual medley.

"I always like to pace in each race, but jumping out to a lead is always in the back of my mind," Davis said. — Chris Davis, 2003

Girls swimmer of the year 

Name: Lacey Nymeyer 

School: Mountain View 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls swimming and diving 

From the archives: Mountain View High School senior won two USA championships in 18-and-under girls swimming at the national championships, and then won a pair of 5A state freestyle titles. She will swim at Arizona in 2004-05. — Greg Hansen, 2003

Boys basketball player of the year 

Name: Barrett Zeinfeld 

School: Catalina Foothills 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys basketball 

From the archives: Catalina Foothills rallied from a six-point halftime deficit Wednesday night to beat Phoenix Sunnyslope 65-51 and advance to the Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals.

After trailing 29-23 at halftime, the Kino No.1 Falcons held Skyline No. 2 Sunnyslope to two free throws in the third quarter to turn a potential upset into a dramatic victory.

Behind a season-best performance from senior guard Barrett Zeinfeld, the Falcons (23-7) outscored the Vikings 19-2 in the third to take an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Zeinfeld scored 16 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth but credited the team's second- half defense for the turnaround.

"We knew we had to get stops to get back in it," Zeinfeld said.

Zeinfeld, who has led his team in scoring in 22 of the Falcons' 30 games, had eight first- quarter points and fed off the energy of a frenzied home crowd on his way to topping his previous high of 32 points in a Jan. 30 game against Amphi.

The Falcons will put their 14-game winning streak on the line at 7 p.m. Friday when they host West Valley No. 2 Goodyear Millennium, which beat Wells Fargo No. 1 Phoenix Pinnacle 54-49. — Mike Marco, 2004

Girls basketball player of the year 

Name: Sybil Dosty 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls basketball 

From the archives: Dosty, who will play for the University of Tennessee this fall, played her final game as a Lancer.

"I had a great four years," Dosty said. "The teams were always really close, like a family." — Chris Davis, 2004

Boys soccer player of the year 

Name: Doug Rappaport 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys soccer 

From the archives: Rappaport led Salpointe to a share of the 5A state title. The senior defender also led his team with 12 goals and 19 assists. — Greg Hansen, 2004

Girls soccer player of the year 

Name: Ashley Wallach 

School: Catalina Foothills 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls soccer 

From the archives: Wallach scored a Southern Arizona-best 40 goals for Catalina Foothills. The backbone of a soccer team that went 22-0 before losing in the state quarterfinals. — Greg Hansen, 2004

Wrestlers of the year 

Name: Nick Gallick 

School: Sunnyside 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Wrestling 

From the archives: Gallick, a three-time Sunnyside state wrestling champion, led the Blue Devils to another 4A title. Gallick then accepted a college scholarship to Iowa State, a Top 25 power. — Greg Hansen, 2004

Name: Matt Lopez 

School: Sunnyside 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Wrestling 

From the archives: Lopez, a three-time Sunnyside state wrestling champion, led the Blue Devils to another 4A title. Lopez then accepted a college scholarship to ASU, a Top 25 power. — Greg Hansen, 2004 

Baseball players of the year 

Name: Brett Sheppard 

School: Rincon/University 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Baseball 

Name: C.J. Ziegler 

School: Canyon del Oro 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Baseball 

Softball player of the year 

Name: Desiree Williams 

School: Flowing Wells 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Softball 

From the archives: Desiree Williams of Flowing Wells was named the Arizona high school softball player of the year by Gatorade on Thursday.

Williams hit .521 in the regular season with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. She was 18-2 with a 0.41 ERA as a pitcher. She had 108 strikeouts in 120 innings.

Williams will play at the University of Texas next year. — Star staff, 2004

Boys tennis player of the year 

Name: Peter Zimmer 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys tennis 

From the archives: The Salpointe Catholic boys and girls tennis teams, riding emotional highs from last week, finally experienced defeat Saturday.

Winners of the boys and girls Class 5A team state championships on Tuesday, the Lancers entered Saturday's boys and girls singles and doubles competitions with participants seeking individual state titles.

Nevertheless, their bid for a clean sweep in the 2004 state tournaments fell short as the Lancers were runners-up in three events and finished third in another at the Paseo Racquet Center.

No other schools from Southern Arizona were represented in the semifinal or final rounds, but Salpointe did more than enough to boost the area's reputation despite its shortcomings Saturday.

Senior Peter Zimmer came closest to capturing a state crown, losing in the singles final to Phoenix Mountain Pointe's Dan Nguyen 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Trying to become the third player in Salpointe history to capture the boys title, Zimmer won comfortably in the first set, but his day – and his stomach – took an unexpected turn for the worst.

After he held serve to tie the score 1-1 in the second set, Zimmer vomited on the court.

Although he said he was fine, his game hit a snag while Nguyen kicked his into high gear.

"It has happened before," Zimmer said of his weak stomach, "but by all means, it is not an excuse for losing. … It was a package deal: As my serve started to go, my confidence and my excitement in the match started to dwindle, also." — Tyler Hansen, 2004

Girls tennis player of the year 

Name: Torrie Browning 

School: Ironwood Ridge 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls tennis 

From the archives: Ironwood Ridge's state champion in 4A girls tennis as a junior accepted a scholarship to continue her career at Wichita State. — Greg Hansen, 2004

Boys track athlete of the year 

Name: Daniel Borg 

School: Ironwood Ridge 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Boys track and field 

From the archives: Borg won the 4A state title in the shot put. — Star staff, 2004

Girls track athlete of the year 

Name: Jessica Arnold 

School: Palo Verde 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls track and field 

From the archives: Palo Verde owed a great deal of its success to senior Jessica Arnold, who accounted for or contributed to every point the Titans earned and had perhaps the meet's best overall day of any participant.

Arnold, a UA women's basketball signee, finished third in the 100 and 200 meters before helping Palo Verde place second in the 1,600 relay.

Her day became great, though, when she rallied the Titans' 400 relay team from behind on the anchor leg to win the state championship.

"I saw some girls in front of me, and I said, "Well, I've gotta go get them," she said with teammates Cherelle Sims, Brittany Montoya and Candeis Harris smiling at her side. — Tyler Hansen, 2004

Boys volleyball player of the year 

Name: Dan Plotts 

School: Sahuaro 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys volleyball 

Click the photo below to check out more athletes of the year in our "High School Reunion" series. 

2003 girls volleyball player of the year 

Name: Jenn Adam 

School: Sabino 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls volleyball 

From the archives: Senior Jenn Adam led the Sabercats into 4A second round. — Danny Van Klaveren, 2003

2003 football player of the year 

Name: Tyler Graunke 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Football 

From the archives: Salpointe’s senior QB broke city passing records with 3,372 yards and 38 touchdowns, both totals second-best in Arizona high school history. — Greg Hansen, 2003

2003 girls cross country runner of the year 

Name: Ellen Mork 

School: Flowing Wells 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls cross country 

From the archives: After Ellen Mork crossed the finish line as the state 5A cross country champion Saturday, Flowing Wells coach Mandee Fish greeted the junior with tears.

Mork, who finished second in the Southern Region on Nov. 1, narrowly defeated Kristen Phillips of Phoenix Mountain Pointe in a time of 19 minutes 11 seconds on the 3.1-mile course at Anthem Community Center.

Phillips finished in 19:15, followed by Phoenix Desert Vista senior Katie Sammons (19:21).

Mork entered the regional undefeated in dual meets, but lost the showdown to Jami Perez of Sierra Vista Buena by 19 seconds.

"I am glad I lost the regional race," Mork said. "I felt pressure again, and it made me realize that there was real competition out there." — Larry Silver, 2003