Anne Scott (Bainbridge High School, Washington) is a familiar face on the ARC Athlete of the Month page as she has established herself as one of the best athletes to attend the school. The sophomore was honored twice last spring for her outstanding season with the ARC swim team—she was named the Community College Swimmer of the Year in California for posting the best marks in the nation in three freestyle sprints—and again last fall for leading the highly-ranked water polo team to the championship game in the State Tournament, after which she was named the MVP of the NorCal.  At last week’s Big 8 Conference Swim Championships, she won all three sprints in which she competed to earn Female Swimmer of the Year in the Big 8.  Scott, who has set ARC records in the three freestyle sprint events, set a Big 8 record with a 30.93 effort in the 50 breast.

Kianti Gix (Rio Americano High School), who has emerged as one of the premier sprinters in his freshman season, had an impressive April.  During the past month, Gix set the ARC record in the 400m with a 47.29 run at the Mt. SAC Relays, a time that also stands as the second fastest in the North.  At the Big 8 Conference Championships, Gix came in second in the 200m in 21.20, the second-fastest mark in NorCal.  Also at the league meet, Gix ran a 46.5 anchor on the 4x400m relay team that set a school record with its 3:12.99 performance.  He also recorded a 21’ 7.25” long jump at the Harlan Anderson Memorial to rank fifth in the Big 8 Conference, and he cleared 6’ 2” in the high jump to post the league’s third-best effort in that event. 

Stephanie Burlew (Cordova High School) is receiving the award for the second consecutive month as she continues to excel on the softball diamond.  Her performance over the past month—both at the plate and on the mound—has catapulted the softball team into third place in the Big 8, a tie for the No. 10 ranking in the NorCal, and No. 19 in the state.  On offense, Burlew, who is batting .417 with a league-best 37 runs and five triples, leads the state with 41 steals in 33 games.  As a pitcher, Burlew has compiled an 18-10 record and ranks second in the state in strikeouts, third in innings pitched with 187.2, and fourth in complete games with 23.

John Spoerl (Campolinda High School, Moraga) will be the No. 2 seed in the Big 8 Conference Tournament after compiling an 8-2 record in league matches.  The sophomore has a combined record this season of 17-6, putting him in the top five players in the North in both singles and doubles.  Two weeks ago he went 2-1 against three of the best No. 1 singles players from the South in the North-South Tournament.  He is one of the most dominant singles players that ARC has had in the past decade due to his aggressive, style of play.  Spoerl, a lefty, is known for his serve and volley style of play, always looking to attack the net and dictate play.

Stephanie Burlew (Cordova High School) is hitting and pitching the softball team to one of its fastest starts in recent years, lighting up the competition with her bat and her right arm.  In 14 games this season, the freshman is hitting a sizzling .533, going 24-for-45 at the plate.  She has also scored 23 runs (tied for third in the state) and swiped a state-leading 27 stolen bases, both on track for season highs at ARC.  Burlew has also shown some power, belting two doubles and a team-leading four triples.  On the mound, Burlew has posted 7-4 record with 75 strikeouts (second most in the state) and only 22 walks in 83 innings.

Nelson Ekeh (Burncoat High School, Worcester, MA) has taken his game to another level this season.  After averaging just under six points and six rebounds a game last year, Ekeh put in the hours during the off season to improve every facet of his game; as a result, the 6’ 5” sophomore has jumped his offense and defensive stats.  He is averaging 10.6 points per game—with a season-high 24 in a 106-89 win over Yuba in November—and he is pulling down a team-leading 8.9 rebounds a game.  During the month of February, he led the team with 9.6 rebounds per game, as well as 14.2 points per outing. 

Gretchen Tiernan (Roseville High School) is averaging 19.7 points for the entire season for the women’s basketball team, and she is the top scorer in the Big 8 conference, scoring at a 22.4 pace in the first eight games..  She also leads the team in assists, averaging 3.6 a game.  Tiernan has connected on 36% of her three-point attempts and his nearing 100 makes for the season. Tiernan, who is third in the state in scoring average, has scored more than 20 points 12 times this season and had a career-high total 42 against Cosumnes River.

Darren Lee (Lincoln High School, Stockton) has hit some big shots this season for the men’s basketball team en route to a 14.8 season average.  The sophomore, who is hitting a sizzling 47% of his three pointers, hit game-sealing treys against Redwoods, in double overtime, and Modesto, as well as six out of six free throws in an overtime win over Santa Rosa.  Lee had a season-high 30 points in the win over Modesto, connecting on 6-of-7 from beyond the three point arc.

Ali Pierce (Del Campo High School) had an outstanding State tournament, leading the women’s water polo team to its first-ever state title game.  Pierce, who was named All Big 8, All State, and All America (for the second time), had 11 goals in the three-game State Championship tournament.  During the season, she scored 93 goals, tied for fifth-best in the state, 18 assists, and 45 steals.  Pierce, a team captain, has been an outstanding center for the community college level, but she worked on her perimeter play to prepare herself for the next level.

Rory Collinwood (Golden West High School) led the men’s water polo team to its first appearance in the State Championships this fall.  The Beavers placed fifth in the tournament.  As a freshman utility player, Collinwood played terrific defense against the opponent’s top players, allowing ARC to keep games against some of the state’s top competition close.  Collinwood, a 3.5 GPA student, was named All- American this season.

Jen Munro (Center High School) has been the most consistent player on one of the state’s most consistent teams.  The sophomore outside midfielder has accounted for 20 points in the team’s first 17 matches, picking up six goals and eight assists for the Beavers, who are currently ranked second in California and the top team in the North region.  Munro, a Kinesiology major, was named the Big 8 Attacking Player of the Week at the end of September.

Nelson Mwangi (Nairobi-Kenya, Africa) has taken a very circuitous route since moving to the U.S., but he has wound up on top after two years of competing at ARC.  A Beaver cross country runner spotted Mwangi playing soccer in a park two years ago and convinced him to come to ARC to run.  In his first race, Mwangi’s shoe came off at the one-mile mark, he ran for two miles, and then quit with a mile remaining.  One year later he is the Big 8 champion.  Despite taking a wrong turn after the first loop, the sophomore won the conference title with a time of 22:55.  This month he placed second at the Cowtown 5K and 25^th at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational.  Competing with runners from four-year schools, Mwangi was the top community college finisher and has been ranked No. 1 for the past seven week.

Anne Scott (Bainbridge High School, Washington) picked up where she left off last spring, when she was twice named ARC Athlete of the Month, as she has emerged as one of the state’s top water polo players.  Scott, who set two state individual swim records last spring, is leading the Beavers this fall with her speed and skill.  The sophomore is third in the state in steals and seventh in scoring this fall, and she was invited to train with the U.S. National team after being one of 40 athletes invited back after a nation-wide tryout.

Gus Gibbs (Tamalpais High School) showed steady improvement over the course of the first month of competition.  The sophomore tied for first at Panther Invitational, took fourth at Beaver Invitational, finished 10^th at Fresno—the third NorCal finisher—second at the Golden West Invitational, and capped off the month by winning the Lou Vasquez Invitational.  Recently voted by his teammates as the team captain, Gibbs will graduate after this semester, and he will likely accept a scholarship to run at San Francisco State.

Cristina Hibbert (Foothill), arguably the best female track athlete ever at ARC, came into the season with the overwhelming task of improving on last year’s NorCal Athlete of the Year performance, and the versatile athlete has done just that. Hibbert, who helped set no fewer than five ARC records, currently is No. 1 in the state in the 400 intermediate hurdles (59.32, the fastest time in the nation) and in the heptathlon, an event in which she placed second at last year’s State Meet. She ranks in the state’s top six in the 100m (12.12), 200m (24.87), 400m (56.45), 100m HH (14.49), and runs the anchor on three relay teams: the 4x100m (46.96, second fastest in the state), 4x400m (3:48.35, the top mark this season), and the 4x800m (11:05.59, the sixth-best in the state). Hibbert, who is weighing several scholarship offers from California universities, owns school records in the 400m, 100m HH, and the 400m IH, as well as relay records in the 4x100m and the 4x400m.

Anne Scott (Bainbridge Island, WA) earned a second recognition as Athlete of the Month with her outstanding performance at the swimming finals at the State Meet last week.  Scott’s marks at the conference and state meets put her in elite company.  Scott, who earlier this month won three races at the Big 7 Conference Meet, set two new state records en route to winning three state titles. The freshman won the 100 and 200 free sprints in record time and capped off an amazing run with a win in the 50 free. She also competed on five relay teams at the meet. Scott owns the ARC records in the three freestyle sprint events.

Avi Kudupudi (Folsom) topped off an outstanding sophomore season by qualifying for the State Tournament at Cabrillo College this weekend. Kudupudi reached the quarterfinals in both the Big 7 Conference tournament and the NorCal Tournament the following weekend. He went into the NorCals as the No. 9 seed, but he ended the three-day event seeded No. 7 in the NorCal. In addition to his fine play in the post season tournaments, Kudupudi also advanced to the Round of 16 in the prestigious Ojai Tournament. Kudupudi, who has already been accepted to UC Davis for next fall, is currently carrying 19 units—including two science labs—and is the vice president of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) at ARC.

Dan Napieralski (Oakmont) has established himself as one of the premier middle distance runners in the state.  In a season in which he has steadily improved, Napieralski, a sophomore, has climbed to the top of season-best marks in the 800m, 1,500m, and 5,000m events. In the 800, Napieralski’s fastest time is 1:55.60, the third fastest in the North and 11^th in California. In the 5,000, his 15:14.75 is the fourth best in the North, 13^th in the state. In his top event, the 1,500, Napieralski has produced the North’s top time of 3:54.92 on April 7 at the Mt. SAC Relays, a mark which ranks fourth among all community college runners.

Faunn Davis (Natomas) has overcome many hurdles to reach the top of the spring charts.  The sophomore is currently ranked among the tops in the state in both the 100m high hurdles and the 400m intermediate hurdles.  Davis’s 14.25 in the 100 HH, recorded at the Johnny Mathis Meet on April 7, is the second-best time in the North and in the state.  She has also turned in a mark of 1:07.05 in the 400 IH, the fifth-best in the North and 7^th in the state.  Davis also runs a leg on the 4x100m relay team which set an ARC standard of 47.49, the second-fastest time in the North this spring and the 3^rd best in the state.

RJ Gundolff (Oak Ridge) has been the offensive spark for the baseball team’s success early in the season. The freshman second baseman is hitting .423 overall, the top average on the team. He also leads the team with 15 stolen bases and is second on the team with 19 runs batted in. In Big 7 play, Gundolff is even hotter, batting .588 in league games, including a 5x5 performance in the opening win against rival Sacramento City. He followed that with a 2-for-3 day in the win against Delta and a 3-for-5 game against Diablo Valley.

Anne Scott (Bainbridge Island, WA) was recruited out of high school by Cal and UCLA, but came to ARC to play water polo and swim and to be recognized for her polo abilities. She never swam club; however, with her natural talent, she performs like an elite level swimmer and, as a result of her hard work and dedication, is regarded as one of the fastest female sprint freestylers in the state. This spring, Scott has set two school records: 200 free in a time of 1:55.61, and 100 free—first against Modesto on Feb. 15 (52.74) and then again on March 3 at the Mt. SAC Invitational (51.97), breaking her own record and setting a new meet and pool record. Of Scott’s 15 individual races this season, she has won 13.

Lauren Jader (North St. Paul HS, MN) has been a steady scorer and rebounder for the women’s basketball team. For the season, the freshman has hit almost 50% of her shots from the floor while averaging over 12 points a game, a team high. She is also the second leading rebounder for the season. Lauren had 9 blocked shots in the game against Diablo Valley College.

Jared Stigall (Jesuit) has shown consistency over the past two months as he directs the men’s basketball team. He leads the team in assists and is second in both free throw percentage and steals. The freshman has shown steady improvement at the critical point guard position, demonstrating both skill and leadership. The highlight of Jared’s season came with his three-point shot with under one second left in the game to edge Delta.

Hillaree Guay (Del Campo), women’s Soccer, anchored the Big 7’s top defensive unit and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player as a result of her leadership and talent.  Her play has helped propel ARC to the league title and into the Final Four of the State Championship tournament.  A sophomore, Hillaree played her freshman season at Sacramento State before transferring to ARC.  In high school, she was a three-time all CAL selection, and in 2001 was named the league’s top defensive player. 

Jason Duvall (Rio Americano), men’s Soccer, led the Beavers in scoring and a Big 7 Conference title.  As a result of his outstanding season, Jason was named first-team all conference and was voted the team Most Valuable Player. The sophomore midfielder scored 20 points on the season, finishing with eight goals and four assists to pace ARC’s offense.  A creative player-maker, he scored a lot of dramatic goals at critical times.