Six local athletes named to All-CIF roster

Hamlet Nalbandyan

For the first time in seven years, a Crescenta Valley High softball

pitcher was not selected to the All-CIF roster.

But that doesn’t mean the Falcons were not well represented on the

prestigious list.

Two CV athletes were named to the All-CIF Southern Section/Amateur

Athletic Foundation Division II team, as selected by the coaches in

each division.

CV’s Amanda Peek and Jeanine Deno joined local athletes Jenna

Schachtner, Lauren Nydam, Jackie Duree and Alex Kinney on the

prestigious list, which was announced Thursday.

Peek, the Pacific League’s Most Valuable Player, was selected to

the first team after a remarkable campaign.

The senior catcher hit .473 and led the area in home runs (eight),

doubles (14) and runs batted in (43).

But it was also her cannon arm behind the plate that led CV --

which had produced an All-CIF pitcher the past six years, from

Meredith Cervenka (1998-2001), to Kris Franks (2002) to Sarah Sherman

(2003) -- to its seventh consecutive league championship and a 23-6

overall record.

Like Peek, Deno was a tough out at the plate.

The senior -- who was named News-Press All-Area Player of the Year

in girls’ basketball and earned first-team All-CIF Division IA honors

this past season -- hit .391 with two home runs and 21 RBIs.

She also scored 19 runs and had a .632 slugging percentage.

Like Peek and Deno, Schachtner -- a second team Division V

selection -- had an outstanding season for Flintridge Prep, but her

accomplishments came in the pitching circle.

The junior right-hander was at times the most dominating hurler in

the area. She posted a 13-7 record with a sparkling 0.66 earned-run

average.

But her most impressive statistic was her strikeouts. She recorded

181 in 123 innings, and walked just eight.

But as impressive as Schachtner’s numbers were, Nydam’s

achievements are just that much better.

The La Canada Flintridge resident had a remarkable four-year

career, earning first-team All-CIF honors three times -- including

Division V accolades this year -- in addition to a Co-Most Valuable

Player honor last year, when she led Village Christian to the

Division V championship.

This season, Nydam -- who will play for national-power Stanford

University next season -- went 17-10 with 225 strikeouts and a 0.31

ERA. The Crusaders advanced to the Division V final, where they fell,

1-0, in eight innings against Ontario Christian. Glendale residents

Duree and Kinney were a big reason for Village Christian’s success.

Kinney earned first team honors after a campaign in which she

stole 27 bases and batted .371.

Duree -- who will play at Cal State Northridge next season --

earned second-team honors after scoring a team-leading 20 runs and

driving in 18, which was second on the team.