High School Reunion: 2001-02 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: 2001-02. 

Football player of the year 

Name: Philo Sanchez 

School: Sunnyside 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Football 

From the archives: Sanchez guided Sunnyside to a 13-1 record and its first state football title. — Star staff, 2001

Girls volleyball player of the year 

Name: Cara Frost 

School: Catalina Foothills  

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls volleyball 

From the archives: Cara Frost led Catalina Foothills to the 4A state finals. — Star staff, 2001

Boys cross country runner of the year 

Name: Stephen Bakke 

School: Rincon 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Boys cross country 

From the archives: Rincon's Stephen Bakke finished eighth at state, making him the top Tucson-area finisher. Bakke said he was pleased with his effort.

"I ran pretty well, but I think I psyched myself up a little too much before the race. It's nice to be Tucson's top runner, but I still would have liked to have done better." — Danny Van Klaveren, 2001

Girls cross country runner of the year 

Name: Emily McGregor 

School: Mountain View 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls cross country 

From the archives: Junior Valerie McGregor finished fourth at state among all individuals at 18:53.77, followed by twin sister Emily (seventh, 19:22.70). — Ian Simmons, 2001

Boys golfer of the year 

Name: Ben Kern 

School: Palo Verde 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys golf 

From the archives: Palo Verde senior Ben Kern shot a 5-under 67 to finish at 138, beating defending champ Chad Wilcox of Glendale Cactus by five strokes for the individual title. Kern's win gave PV, which didn't qualify as a team in the boys or girls tournaments, a sweep of the individual crowns. Junior Nicole de Gennaro won the girls title on Tuesday.

Kern, son of local amateur standout Jeff Kern, shot a 71 Tuesday but said he was upset with his effort after squandering a three-birdie start to his first round. So, following birdies at Nos. 7, 8 and 9 to make the turn at 5-under 31, Kern said, "I wasn't going to let this get away from me." — Brian J. Pedersen, 2001

Girls golfer of the year 

Name: Nicole De Gennaro 

School: Palo Verde 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls golf 

From the archives: Nicole De Gennaro has dramatically improved her game since joining the girls golf team at Palo Verde as a freshman.

She has improved so much, in fact, that it was almost a certainty that she would compete for a state title by the time she was a senior.

But patience is not De Gennaro's best attribute.

She returned to Tucson on Tuesday as the Class 4A state champion, winning the event at Estrella Mountain Golf Course - as a junior.

And that begs the question: What is there left to accomplish?

"Stay good and keep getting better," she said after a 3-over 75 gave her a 149 total for the two-day tournament. "I've got winter (junior) golf coming up."

Her effort was four shots better than Katie Brenneman of Phoenix Arcadia and Jessie Malcolm of Scottsdale Chaparral.

De Gennaro was matter of fact in her answers, just as she was on the course.

She shook off a stretch of five bogeys in six holes midway through her round that saw her momentarily tied for first, after leading throughout.

"Every shot I left to the right, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong," De Gennaro said. "Around (No.) 13, I figured it out. I knew where I stood (in the standings) the whole 18."

Monday's first round might have been more difficult for De Gennaro to navigate through, mainly because of the tourney's random placement of individual qualifiers into the field. She was paired with an entrant who shot a 197, which led to a slow pace.

"I tried not to think about it," De Gennaro said.

De Gennaro's rise - from a two-day 207 at the state event two years ago, to a 155 and a fifth-place medal last season, to state champion - was the most successful showing for a Southern Arizona 4A girl since Sabino's Tanja Arnold won the title in 1995. — Brian J. Pedersen, 2001

Boys swimmers of the year 

Name: Dave Rollins 

School: Sabino 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys swimming and diving 

From the archives: High school swimming is a team sport, but Sabino seniors Tyler DeBerry and David Rollins sure didn't disappoint when it came to individual achievements.

The duo combined for four individual titles, three individual state records - one that stood for 22 years - and also powered the Sabino relay teams to two victories. All told they helped account for 154 of the team's 193 points, which earned Sabino third place.

"We were concentrating on the relays and me and Dave's personal goals," said DeBerry, who won the 500 free in a state-record 4:28.53. "I don't think for our senior year we could have gone out any better way."

DeBerry also won the 200 free in 1:38.26, besting the mark of former Salpointe Catholic and UA swimmer Scott Gaskins. Gaskins, now an assistant at Salpointe made sure to congratulate DeBerry after the feat.

Rollins won the 100 breast in 56.96 and repeated in the 200 IM in 1:49.41, shaving 2.5 seconds off his event-winning time from last year and 0.39 seconds off the previous state best set in 1979. The IM win almost didn't happen, though, when the race was initially halted because of a false start.

Rollins didn't hear the gun and swam through his first 25 yards before he was finally stopped. After allowing the 50 free final to go, Rollins got right back on the blocks and blew past Mesa Red Mountain's Michael Passey by 1.52 seconds.

"The guy swimming next to me had to stop me," Rollins said of the false start. "My first 50 (yards) I don't take out all that fast, so I didn't have any problem with (having to restart)."

The 5A meet ended with DeBerry leading off and Rollins anchoring Sabino's win in the 400 free relay in 3:06.98, beating a 9-year record by 0.72 seconds. — Brian J. Pedersen, 2001

Name: Tyler DeBerry 

School: Sabino 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys swimming and diving 

Girls swimmer of the year 

Name: Emily Thompson 

School: Palo Verde 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls swimming and diving 

From the archives: In the 4A girls state tournament, Palo Verde junior Emily Thompson doubled with wins in the 50 free (23.91) and 100 butterfly (56.50). — Brian J. Pedersen, 2001

Boys basketball player of the year 

Name: Smiley Contreras 

School: Pueblo 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys basketball 

From the archives: Pueblo senior guard Smiley Contreras led the city in scoring with a 26.3 points per game average, and set a state record for three-pointers in a game with 14 vs. Sierra Vista Buena. — Star staff, 2002

Girls basketball player of the year 

Name: Sybil Dosty 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Sophomore 

Sport: Girls basketball 

From the archives: Salpointe Catholic sophomore Sybil Dosty averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Lancers reached the 5A state semifinals for the first time since 1999. — Star staff, 2002

Boys soccer player of the year 

Name: Omid Aldaghi 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys soccer 

From the archives: Senior Omid Aldaghi scored 16 goals to lead Salpointe Catholic to a 22-1-1 record. — Star staff, 2002

Girls soccer player of the year 

Name: Lexy Lebsack 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls soccer 

From the archives: Salpointe junior Lexy Lebsack scored 31 goals, leading the Lancers to the 5A state semifinals. — Star staff, 2002

Wrestler of the year 

Name: Gordo Villaescusa 

School: Rio Rico 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Wrestling 

From the archives: Rio Rico senior Gordo Villaescusa set a state record for victories with 192, capping his career by winning the Class 3A 135-pound state title, thus becoming the 15th wrestler to win four state championships. — Star staff, 2002

Baseball players of the year 

Name: Brett Ames  

School: Catalina Foothills 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Baseball 

Name: Seth Lackow 

School: Canyon del Oro 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Baseball 

Name: Tom Wilhelmsen 

School: Tucson High 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Baseball 

Softball players of the year 

Name: Courtnay Foster 

School: Sahuaro 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Softball 

Name: Ashley Monceaux 

School: Flowing Wells 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Softball 

Name: Celena Velasquez 

School: Rincon 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Softball 

Name: Desiree Williams 

School: Flowing Wells 

Year in school: Sophomore 

Sport: Softball 

Boys tennis players of the year 

Name: Adrian Lai 

School: Rincon 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Boys tennis 

From the archives: Lai won the boys singles title by beating his teammate, No. 1 seed Evan Feldhausen, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3). — Tyler Hansen, 2002

Name: Evan Feldhausen 

School: Rincon 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Boys tennis 

Girls tennis players of the year 

Name: Kendra Strohm 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls tennis 

From the archives: Southern Arizona had one of its most dominant days in high school tennis history Saturday, as local products seized five individual and two team championships at the Class 4A and 5A state tournaments.

Topping the list was Salpointe Catholic senior Kendra Strohm, who became the first girl in Arizona to win four 5A state singles titles. Strohm beat Mesa Red Mountain's Courtney Koenigsfeld 6-1, 6-0 in the championship match at La Camarilla Racquet & Fitness Club in Scottsdale.

"This is exactly how I wanted it to end," said Strohm, who is headed to Texas next year after compiling a high school career record of 66 wins with only one set lost.

Strohm was the only local player to win at the 5A level. — Brian J. Pedersen, 2002

Name: Hala Sufi 

School: Catalina Foothills 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls tennis 

From the archives: Two of the championship matches (girls singles and boys doubles) were all-Foothills finals. Sufi, a junior, knocked off sophomore teammate Jennifer Kaufman 6-3, 6-1 in the title match. — Tyler Hansen, 2002

Boys track athletes of the year 

Name: Josh Brisco 

School: Catalina Foothills 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys track and field 

From the archives: The Catalina Foothills boys won the state 4A track championship Saturday night at UA's Drachman Stadium, with the Foothills girls finishing second.

Josh Brisco placed fifth in the 100 meters and second in the discus. — Star staff, 2002

Name: Kyle Johnson 

School: Catalina Foothills 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Boys track and field 

From the archives: The Catalina Foothills boys won the state 4A track championship Saturday night at UA's Drachman Stadium, with the Foothills girls finishing second.

Kyle Johnson placed first in the high jump (6 feet, 10 inches). — Star staff, 2002

Girls track athletes of the year 

Name: Crystal Harden 

School: Palo Verde 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls track and field 

From the archives: Harden topped off her senior year with championship titles in the long jump (17-5) and the triple jump (39-2) and was runner-up in the high jump (5-2). — Star staff, 2002

Name: Nina Henson 

School: Sahuaro 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls track and field 

From the archives: Sahuaro senior Nina Henson broke her own record in the triple jump Saturday at the 5A state championships.

Henson sailed 40-11 inches on her final jump to win the event over Yuma's Jacqueline Johnson who went 38-7.

As a freshman, Henson had set a goal of 40 feet. She reached it with a state-record 40-5 at regionals.

After Sahuaro moved to the 5A this season, the two-time defending champion in 4A had to prove she could win at the higher level.

"I'm happy right now. I reached my goal and I'm proud of that," Henson said. "I came into this meet nervous. Very nervous, actually. But when I reflect on my past years, I couldn't ask for anything more."

Henson, who also finished second in the long jump at 18-5 behind Johnson, credits a first jump of 40-1 during triple jump qualifying as helping alleviate any jitters.

"I never, ever do that. I usually have to work into the big jump," Henson said.

When setting the state record at regionals, Henson eclipsed the mark set by her jump coach, Takisha Morgan, who went 39-9 for Mountain View in 1997. — Star staff, 2002

Boys volleyball player of the year 

Name: Kasey Harwell 

School: Salpointe Catholic 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Boys volleyball 

From the archives: Central No. 2 seed Phoenix Mountain Pointe beat Southern No. 1 seed Salpointe Catholic 15-12, 15-5, eliminating the host Lancers from the Class 4A/5A state tournament Tuesday.

In the first game, Salpointe (27-8) erased a 6-2 deficit as Kasey Harwell served a pair of aces, and Teddy Liles and David Barnes posted blocks.

Trailing 11-9, Harwell registered kills to tie the score. Liles blocked the Pride's Nate Kraus to tie the score at 12.

Mountain Pointe (18-3) finished the game with a kill from Shawn Keeler.

"We feel like we got lucky tonight," Mountain Pointe coach Fred Mann said. "Like these kids didn't play as well as they usually play. This team could have won state."

Mountain Pointe raced to a 6-2 lead in the second game and cruised to victory.

"Harwell gets my vote for player of the year," Mann said. "He's an unbelievable player and an unbelievable kid."

"That's funny," Harwell said. "I figure he's the best coach, because he figured out how to shut me down tonight. I have a lot of respect for Fred Mann." — Jason B. Miller, 2002

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

2001 girls volleyball player of the year 

Name: Cara Frost 

School: Catalina Foothills  

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Girls volleyball 

From the archives: Cara Frost led Catalina Foothills to the 4A state finals. — Star staff, 2001

2001 football player of the year 

Name: Philo Sanchez 

School: Sunnyside 

Year in school: Senior 

Sport: Football 

From the archives: Sanchez guided Sunnyside to a 13-1 record and its first state football title. — Star staff, 2001

2001 girls cross country runner of the year 

Name: Emily McGregor 

School: Mountain View 

Year in school: Junior 

Sport: Girls cross country 

From the archives: Junior Valerie McGregor finished fourth at state among all individuals at 18:53.77, followed by twin sister Emily (seventh, 19:22.70). — Ian Simmons, 2001