Kurt Lutz off to fast start at San Francisco State
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.
Kurt Lutz (Glendale Community College, 2013) junior, San Francisco State men’s cross-country: After helping the Vaqueros to a second-place finish in the California Community College Athletic Assn. Championships last season, Lutz has taken his talent north and appears to have made a seamless transition.
Lutz immediately showed he’s ready for the rigorous competition at the four-year level.
Lutz began his career with the Gators on Saturday by clocking 26 minutes 48 seconds to capture the Crystal Springs Invitational in Belmont. Forty-four participants competed in the 8K race, with Lutz winning by three seconds. Lutz also helped San Francisco State win the five-team meet with 22 points.
For his effort on the course, Lutz was selected as the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.’s Men’s Cross-Country Runner of the Week.
San Francisco State will next compete in the third annual Sonoma State Invitational at 9:45 a.m. Sept. 21 at Spring Lake Regional Park in Santa Rosa.
Eric Verso (St. Francis High, 2011) sophomore midfielder, Stanford men’s soccer: Verso, a former All-Area honoree, played a large role in helping the Cardinal win their first match of the campaign.
Verso scored on a follow-up shot in the 10th minute to propel host Stanford to a 1-0 nonconference victory against Santa Clara on Saturday. He had a couple of scoring chances earlier before capitalizing when he scored on a rebound after his previous shot hit the crossbar.
It was Verso’s first goal of the season and helped Stanford improve to 1-1-1.
Verso and his younger brother, Mark, a freshman forward and a St. Francis graduate, combined for four shots. Three of the shots were on goal.
Stanford will next meet visiting Grand Canyon University at 7 p.m. Friday in a nonconference match.
Alyssa Selve (Glendale Community College, 2012) senior, Adams State women’s cross-country: Expectations continue to remain high for the Grizzlies, who entered the season as the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division II South Central Region. Selve, who earned All-American honors last season, and Adams State wasted no time showing why they deserve top billing.
Selve finished with a fourth-place mark of 18 minutes 21.23 seconds Saturday on the 6K course in the 20th annual Joe I. Vigil Open at Cattails Country Club in Alamosa, Colo.
The Grizzlies had the top five scorers in the event and won with 15 points with an overall time of 1:30:50.83.
Adams State will next take part in the Colorado College Invitational on Sept. 21 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Sarah Teegarden (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2013) freshman midfielder, Wake Forest women’s soccer: Things seem to be going well early on for the reigning All-Area first-team pick. Teegarden recently returned to the West Coast, as the Demon Deacons participated in the Nike Portland Invitational in Portland, Ore.
Teegarden had a hand in Wake Forest, ranked No. 7 in the nation, making the cross-country trip a success. The Demon Deacons trailed 15th-ranked Portland, 2-0, at halftime before rallying for a 3-2 victory to win the tournament Sunday.
Teegarden registered her first point of the season when she assisted on a goal by Riley Ridgik a minute into the second half. Wake Forest (5-0) knotted it at 2 four minutes later before securing the winning goal in the 75th minute. Teegarden played all 90 minutes and finished with three shots.
The Demon Deacons opened the tournament Friday with a 1-0 win against Washington at Merlo Field.
Wake Forest will begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a home match against No. 2 Florida State at 4 p.m. PDT Thursday before meeting visiting Miami at 10 a.m. PDT Sunday.
