Page 10 - Reedley Exponent 5-30-19 E-edition

Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Emma Mulligan waited for a pitch during an April 5 game against Sunnyside High. The Pirates' Female Athlete of the Year will play collegiate softball at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Ethan Milton looked to shoot during a Central Sec- tion playoff semifinal against Edison last Novem- ber. The swimming and water polo standout was named Male Athlete of the Year.
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during the season on its way to a league title. "Even though we didn't reach our final goal of winning Valley, we feel iike we made it re- ally far and progressed," she said. "It was great to end the season with those girls."
Milton was a standout in the pool for the Pirates during his prep career. He swam varsity for four years — starring in the freestyle swim and on relay teams that captured league cham- pionships. He played three years of varsity water polo. earning NYL defensive MVP and all-league honors in 2017 and 2018. The Pirates reached the section semifi- nals this last fall.
Coach Darrin Hammond said Milton "is a rare talent who comes from an athlet- ically-gifted family, and is well-respective throughout the league and division." Mil- ton's older sister, Emily Mil- ton, won Female Athlete of the Year in 2017.
"It's kind of out of the blue for me," Milton said. "I wasn't quite expecting it
because I know there's a lot of the great athletes on our campus. I feel honored to get it. A pretty cool surprise. It feels good."
Milton plans to attend Reedley College for two years, with the goal of trans- ferring to UC Santa Barbara. He hasn't decided whether to continue his athletic ca- reer or to concentrate on academics.
Minami called up 17 Pi- rates senior girls onto the PAT stage before making the Athlete of the Year announce- ments. He praised the group of girls, who he said were the nucleus of RHS teams that won 16 out of a possible 22 North Yosemite League championships between 2017 and 2019.
"Sixteen of these young la- dies played varsity all four years in one sport. Sixteen," Minami said as the audience applauded. "Four of these girls did that in two sports. That's incredible.
"The last two years, this group of girls has 106 – let me say that again, 106 — NYL medals or first-team nomination wins. Also, eight North Yosemite Most Valu-
able Players. This group, in my opinion, has had one of the finest careers we've seen in decades."
Minami said the core of RHS girls accomplished all this success "while building lifelong friends. It's really been a joy. I got to see this group grow up from their sophomore year on. It really has been a joy to be the ath- letic director of these girls."
Mulligan and Milton were among a group of RHS ath- letes to receive Gold Stripe and Gold Star status, sym- bolic of letter all four years in a single varsity sport or multiple varsity sports.
Fourteen other Reedley High athletes — includ- ing seniors Julie Scott and Justin Fonseca – were rec- ognized as Scholar-Athlete winners. Scott and Fonseca each received $200 schol- arships from the Reedley High School athletic depart- ment.
During the program, all of the school's athletic pro- grams recognized individu- al athletes including Most Valuable or Most Outstand- ing players. The school also recognized coaches and
team MVPs in fall, winter and spring sports. In ad- dition, all-NYL athletes and coaches received spe- cial recognition from the school.
All scholarships presented to RHS athletes are spon- sored by the Reedley Pirates Foundation, longtime bene- factor for school athletics.
A complete list of all var- sity winners will run in a fu- ture issue of The Exponent.
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ton of work," Franco said of Wood. "Congratuations to you, what a year and ca- reer. I have no doubt that this guy is going to make it. He's a fighter, he's a grinder. He does not take losing well."
Franco described how Wood struggled through his first full varsity season as a sophomore, struggling to hit with a high strikeout total. But he continued to work in the batting cage and blossomed as a junior, especially defensively.
"By his junior year, he easily was our best out- fielder — I think the best outfielder I've had in 10 years," Franco said; "In-
stinctively, with the way he tracked down the ball out there and his arm kept getting better."
Wood — like teammate and fellow Athlete of the Year nominee Friesen – participated in the City- County All-Star game on May 25. He has some col- lege options and has yet to decide where he will play in 2020.
This year's Blue & White Excellence recipi- ents were selected on the basis of their athletic abil- ity and accomplishment, academic achievement, character development and spiritual maturity. For the first time, award judg- es conducted an interview to determine each nomi- nees spiritual maturity.
The Immanuel High Blue & White Excellence Class of 2019 was honored at the school's athletics awards presentation on May 23. From left are Male Athlete of the Year Derek Wood, football and baseball; Rebecca Deaver, soccer and swimming; Nikki McArron, golf; Tamsen Taves, track and field; Regan Ott, soccer; Female Athlete of the Year Danielle Jefferies, volley- ball; Grace Goertzen, tennis; JT Friesen, baseball.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
of the
Carissa Hall - Immanuel High
School Track and Field
Carissa Hall, Immanuel High School junior, nished in fth place in the long jump and triple jump events at the Central Section track and eld championships on May 18 in Clovis. Hall’s personal best marks in the events are 17 feet, 11 inches in
the long jump and 37 feet, 1 1/4 inches in the triple jump.
Week
REEDLEY 555 I STREET
559-638-2300
www.xcelerate tness.com
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
TOP: Reedley High School's 2018-19 fall sports coaches and team MVP athletes.
ABOVE MIDDLE: Reedley High School's 2018-19 winter sports coaches and team MVP athletes. ABOVE: Reedley High School's 2018-19 spring sports coaches and team MVP athletes.
USA Softball of Reedley
2019-21 Reedley USA Board Elections
Positions Are Open for: President, Treasure and Five General Board Members
Please submit your nominations by June 15th, to be included on the voting ballot.
Positions are a two year commitment. You may text or call your nominations to • Reuben Gonzalez - (559) 917-8606
• Michael Romero - (559) 776-1028
Voting will take place on June 18th at the KCTA O ce from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
856 S. Reed, Suite 2 (Corner of Reedley & Dinuba)
Sequoia Safety Council
Is accepting reservations for:
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class starting August 5, 2019. The class is Monday and Wednesday evenings August – December.
Heartsaver CPR/AED and First Aid – Saturday, June 8, 2019
CPR/AED for Healthcare Providers – Saturday, July 6, 2019
—— Contact (559) 638-9995 to register ——
Athlete
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