Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 12/22/1999 All articles from this issue

Lewis rising with the Crimson Tide

printer friendly version

By Pete Borello / Town Crier Staff Writer

Here's an update on some former high school athletes from the area who are now excelling at the college level:

Mountain View High graduate Milo Lewis is making quite a name for himself as a starting cornerback for the University of Alabama football team, ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Lewis, a junior who this season transferred from City College of San Francisco, finished the regular season tied for first on the team in interceptions with five. He led the Crimson Tide in pass breakups with 16, recorded 48 tackles and forced a fumble.

Alabama (10-2) concludes its season Jan. 1 against No. 8 Michigan in the Orange Bowl.

Yale junior Anne Rippetoe of Los Altos has been named All-American and All-Ivy League for her play in field hockey this season. As a midfielder Rippetoe, a Los Altos High grad, led the team with six assists.

Pinewood School graduate John Neil last month signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for Utah State beginning in the fall of 2002. Neil, a sophomore at Cañada College in Redwood City, is starting a Mormon mission next fall.

The 6-foot-7, 212-pound forward averaged 27 points per game at Pinewood and 12 points and six rebounds per game for Cañada last season. Named to the all-Coast Conference Second Team as a freshman last year, Neil shot 82 percent from the foul line, 51 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range and led his team in scoring in the final eight games of the season.

"John is an excellent skill player who can shoot, pass and handle the basketball," Utah State basketball coach Stew Morril said. "He comes from an outstanding junior college program, so he will be ahead of some in terms of the coaching he has received. He will be a valuable addition to our program and should be able to play both the big guard and small forward positions."

In his first season as co-head coach at UCLA, Mountain View native Adam Krikorian helped lead the men's water polo team to the national championship. The Bruins edged Stanford 6-5 Dec. 5 in San Diego to claim its third NCAA title in five years.

Krikorian works alongside Guy Baker as co-head coaches of both the men's and women's water polo programs at UCLA. Last spring, Krikorian was the interim head coach for the men's team while Baker coached the U.S. National Team. During his tenure on the UCLA staff, Krikorian has assisted four national championship teams.

Krikorian is a former All-American water polo player for the Bruins and captain of the 1995 national championship squad. He has served as a full-time assistant for the last three years.

Twin sisters Lorrie and Ronnie Fair, both Los Altos High grads, have been selected as All-Americans by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Lorrie, a member of the University of North Carolina squad that won the NCAA Division I championship earlier this month, made the first team. Ronnie, a senior at Stanford, earned second-team honors.

St. Francis High grad Charles Tharp was named the Gateway Conference Newcomer of the Year earlier this month for his outstanding play at running back for the Western Illinois University football team.

The junior, who transferred from the University of Hawaii, rushed for 1,311 yards - the third-highest total in school history. Tharp also led the Leathernecks in scoring with 86 points on 14 touchdowns and in all-purpose yards with 1,723.

Gunn High grads Erika Alfredson and Elizabeth Hughes helped the UC-San Diego women's soccer team capture the NCAA Division III national title last month with a 1-0 victory over defending champ Macalester College in Williamstown, Mass.

Alfredson scored the winning goal off Emma Borst's corner kick in the 60th minute of the game. Alfredson also scored the game-winner in San Diego's 1-0 semifinal win over College of New Jersey. The midfielder wound up being named All-Tournament Offensive Most Valuable Player.

Mandy Davidson of Los Altos is one of eight players on the Texas A&M women's soccer team to be named Academic All-Big 12 Conference.

Davidson, who attended The King's Academy in Sunnyvale, is a senior majoring in community health. She started at forward for a Texas A&M team that finished 7-3-0 in the Big 12 and qualified for the NCAA playoffs.

Los Altos High graduate Kacey Clark this season moved into seventh place on Colorado College's all-time list for career assists in women's soccer. The junior was named the team's most valuable offensive player last season.

Wen-Ai Yu, a 1999 graduate of Mountain View High, has received a $1,000 college scholarship from the Women's Sports Foundation and Mervyn's California department store.

The Los Altos resident was one of nearly 300 recipients nationwide. Yu was chosen based on her performance in badminton and tennis and her volunteer work with the Salvation Army. She now attends UCLA.

The scholarships are designed to promote the importance of athletic programs for young women and are awarded for athletic participation, academic performance, community service and financial need.

The Women's Sports Foundation is a national, non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing the sports and fitness experience for girls and women. It was founded in 1974.

Readers who know of other former local prep stars excelling on the college level are encouraged to call the Town Crier sports department at 948-9000, ext. 315; fax 948-6647; or e-mail peteb@latc.com.