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.