Top 10 Girls’ Athletes of 2015-16: MacDougall made plenty of waves at Crescenta Valley
The top 10 girls’ high school athletes of the year were voted on by the Glendale News-Press sports department. These are selections two through 10. See Friday’s edition for the Girls’ Athlete of the Year.
2 Heather MacDougall, Crescenta Valley swimming, senior — Entering the spring season, expectations remained high for MacDougall. By the end of the season, MacDougall met or exceeded her goals for the talented Falcons, culminating with several Pacific League titles, a CIF championship relay and All-American status.
“She’s an exceptional swimmer, there’s no doubt about that, and a privilege to coach,” Crescenta Valley Coach Peter Kim said. “I’ve seen many talented swimmers throughout the years, but Heather’s done some things that I’ve never seen.”
The Penn State University-bound MacDougall took control during the league finals at Burbank High. MacDougall set league records in the 100 freestyle with a swim of 51.14 seconds before claiming the 100 backstroke (57.14) to help the Falcons win their ninth straight league championship.
The All-Area Girls’ Swimmer of the Year continued her excellence during the CIF Southern Section Division II finals at Riverside City College.
Crescenta Valley won the 400 freestyle relay by just .04 seconds in a CIF state meet and All-American automatic time of 3:25.91. The victory for MacDougall, Tiare Coker, Samantha Kohn and Yvette Kim helped the Falcons finish tied for fourth with Diamond Bar at 175 points. It was their highest finish at CIF since 2002, when they finished runner-up.
Also at the CIF finals, MacDougall placed second in the 200 freestyle in a state and All-American automatic mark of 1:47.88 and fifth in the 100 freestyle in 50.61.
The Falcons also picked up a fifth-place finish in the 200 medley relay from MacDougall, Kim, Coker and Kohn in a state-auto time of1:47.46.
3 Kayla Lund, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball, junior — Flintridge Sacred Heart found itself atop the Mission League, splitting the crown with Marymount. The 6-foot-1 Lund, an outside hitter, played a large part in the Tologs’ success.
Lund was selected the league’s co-most valuable player and named the All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year.
She continued to pound the ball past opponents, finishing with an area-high 554 kills and added 273 digs. She contributed 59 blocks and 37 aces for the Tologs, who posted a 26-win campaign.
The University of Pittsburgh-bound Lund notched 1,120 kills over the last two seasons.
“She’s playing in a very tough league and you need to have that player who can step up at the most important times,” said Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Ernest Banaag, whose team fell in five games to San Clemente in the first round of the playoffs. “I’ve seen her every day for the last three years and she’s done so well, but there’s still so much for her to learn.”
4 Audrey Taylor, Crescenta Valley water polo, senior — Taylor put together another fabulous season.
The UC Davis-bound Taylor had a propensity for making big plays for the Falcons, who won the Pacific League championship for the seventh straight season and reached the CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals.
Taylor finished with a career-high 140 goals to go along with 52 assists and 48 steals.
She was named the league’s player of the year and received an All-CIF first-team honor.
Taylor was named the All-Area Girls’ Water Polo Player of the Year for the second straight season after helping Crescenta Valley finish 28-5, 8-0 in league.
“The one thing I don’t have to really do is talk too much to Audrey,” Crescenta Valley Coach Ricky Mulcahey said. “She can go out there and get locked into a zone and stay at the higher level for such a long time.
“She knows what she needs to do, plus she’s great at getting her teammates involved. She’s a playmaker, who can pass, shoot and drive well.”
5 Sammy Fabian, Glendale softball, junior — At bat or in the field, Fabian again proved to be a force for the playoff-bound Nitros. Fabian sparkled at the plate, spraying the ball across the diamond and circling the bases quickly. She also got the job done while patrolling center field.
“She was a threat every at-bat,”” said Glendale Coach Greg Martin, who resigned following the season. “She’s so versatile and hits the ball where she wants it to go. She’s a unique talent and you don’t see players like that come along very often.”
Fabian began her carer hitting in 61 straight games before having her streak stopped late in the season. She batted .656 (42 for 64) with 10 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 22 runs batted in. She collected 40 runs, 18 stolen bases and posted a 1.078 slugging percentage.
Glendale reached the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs after tying for second in the Pacific League.
Fabian picked up all-league, All-Area and All-CIF first-team recognition and was once again a Cal-Hi Sports All-State selection.
6 Julia Gonzalez, Flintridge Prep soccer, sophomore — Facilitating a youthful, but talented Rebels squad, Gonzalez showed poise and impressive numbers, including dishing off a school-record number of assists.
She contributed an area-best 32 assists and 24 goals for Flintridge Prep, which shared the Prep league championship with archrival Pasadena Poly.
“She took on a bigger role,” Flintridge Prep Coach Esteban Chavez said. “She got double-teamed and she could balance her scoring and distribution of the ball. When she got the ball, she could instantly recognize if somebody was open.
“It’s always a plus when she can create scoring situations. She’s going to be a big part of the team the next couple of years.”
Gonzalez was bestowed with plenty of postseason recognition after the Rebels reached the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.
She was tabbed as the league’s offensive player of the year and earned a spot on the league’s first team. In addition, Gonzalez received All-CIF first-team recognition before being named All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
7 Therese Boles, St. Monica Academy volleyball/ basketball/ softball, senior — In each sport, Boles proved to be a huge contributor and a winner.
Boles especially thrived in volleyball, sparking St. Monica to the CIF Southern Section Division V-A championship. It marked the first CIF title in the school’s history. St. Monica rallied for a 16-25, 21-25, 25-13, 25-17, 15-11 victory against top-seeded Tarbut V’ Torah in the Division V-A title match at Rio Hondo College. Boles, an outside hitter, had eight kills and 26 digs in the contest.
Boles picked up All-Area first-team accolades, in addition to being named the International League and CIF Southern Section Division V-A Player of the Year.
In basketball, Boles, a guard, averaged 7.8 points per game. She received all-league first-team honors for the Crusaders, who won the league title and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Boles capped her superb season in softball, batting .411 and posting a .533 on-base percentage. The first baseman scored 35 runs and drove in 15 for St. Monica, which took second in the Heritage League. Boles received an all-league first-team honor and an All-CIF first-team nod.
8 Helen Schaefer, Flintridge Prep soccer, freshman — Not many knew about the forward entering the season. By the time the campaign concluded, Schaefer had received plenty of attention and accolades.
Backed by top playmaking skills, Schaefer registered a school-record 38 goals and 14 assists for 90 points. Flintridge Prep finished 16-3-5, 9-1 in the Prep League to tie for first place with rival Pasadena Poly. Flintridge Prep reached the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.
Schaefer earned All-Area, All-CIF and all-league first-team recognition.
9 Tala Ismail, Flintridge Prep basketball, senior — Ismail, a forward, missed the beginning of the season with a knee injury. She regained her stamina and helped the Rebels win the Prep League and CIF Southern Section Division V-AA crowns.
Fourth-seeded Flintridge Prep picked up a 39-34 overtime win against Mission College Prep in the Division V-AA championship game, as Ismail contributed six points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Ismail and the Rebels finished 21-5, 11-1 in league. The four-year varsity standout averaged 10.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, four steals, 1.7 blocks and 1.9 assists per game. Ismail was selected the league’s most valuable player and earned All-Area first-team and All-CIF second-team nods.
10 Natalie O’Brien, Flintridge Prep cross-country/track and field, junior — O’Brien had a huge hand in Flintridge Prep excelling on the course and track.
In cross-country, O’Brien clocked 18 minutes 18 seconds to finish second in the Prep League finals at L.A. Pierce College. The Rebels took second in league in the team competition to Mayfield.
O’Brien and the Rebels struck gold following the league final. At the CIF Southern Section Division V final at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, O’Brien had a mark of 19:07.1 to place fifth overall and help Flintridge Prep win the championship for the third straight year.
At the CIF State Cross Country Division V Championship at Woodard Park in Fresno, O’Brien took eighth in 18:54.6. Flintridge Prep finished first for the second straight season.
In track and field, O’Brien won the league title in the 3,200-meter race in 11:22.66.
Honorable mention: Lauren Savo, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy soccer; Renae Tamura, Flintridge Prep basketball; Crystal Juan, Flintridge Prep tennis; Clare Lund, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball.
