Handy family pole vaulters star in Reno

By Marty James

NOTES AND QUOTES for a Wednesday in the Napa Valley:

Vintage High School’s Lonnie Handy, a senior, and Kylie Handy, a junior, competed in the pole vault event during a track and field meet in Reno over the weekend. It was a tri-meet with McQueen, Reed and Galena high schools hosting 14 vaulters.

Taking part in her first high school meet as a pole vaulter, Kylie set a personal record with a height of six feet.

Lonnie won the event and set a PR at 13-6, after clearing 12 feet and then passing on 12-6 to clear 13 feet and 13-6, all on his first attempts.

Lonnie was unable to clear 14 feet as a strong cross wind made vaulting very difficult into the late afternoon. The crossbar needed to be held onto until the vaulter was in the air.

Lonnie has competed at Idaho State and they have both vaulted in Reno and at Diablo Valley College-Pleasant Hill for the Reno/Tahoe Track Club under head coach Paul Heglar.

They travel to Reno every Saturday to get all the practice and pit time they can.

When Lonnie was asked what he likes about pole vaulting, he said: “I really enjoy pole vaulting because my success depends on how much effort, hard work and time I put into it. It’s just me and my technique against the bar, and if I am successful I give my team maximum points for our best chance to win.”

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Freshman Sam Sciutto, who plays third base, leads the Cal State East Bay softball team with two home runs and nine RBIs.

The Vintage graduate had a two-run single in the Pioneers’ 5-1 California Pacific Conference win over Bethany University Saturday.

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Vintage will again host the Monticello Empire League swimming and diving championship meet this year. The dates are April 30, May 1 and 2.

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Micah Putnam, a Justin-Siena graduate, has started all 27 games and is batting .264 with two doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs for the Cal State Northridge softball team.

The Matadors beat San Diego State Sunday 3-2 to win the San Diego Classic II Championship. Northridge went 5-0 in the tournament.

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Napa’s Haylee Yepson scored a 9.550 on the balance beam, her best mark of the season, for the Seattle Pacific women’s gymnastics team during a four-team meet won by host Sacramento State at the Hornets Nest last week.

Yepson also scored a 9.400 on vault and an 8.650 on bars.

Mary Peck, a Napa resident who competes for Sacramento, had a 9.575 on the vault and an 8.330 on beam.

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Bailey Price of Napa is batting .278 with a home run for the Southern Oregon University softball team.

Price, a designated hitter who also plays first base, was all-Napa County and all-Monticello Empire League for Vintage.

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Blaize Boles ended the 2008-09 men’s basketball season for William Jessup University by averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

The Justin-Siena graduate played in 22 games, averaging 18.7 minutes per game for Jessup (13-3 California Pacific Conference, 18-14 overall).

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The University of Texas-Arlington’s Tim Steggall is batting .208 with a double and three RBIs.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.           

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