SAN DIEGO—(May 2, 2018)—Desiree Linden, a Hilltop High graduate, became the first American woman to capture the Boston Marathon since 1985, earning professional Star of the Month honors as selected by the San Diego Hall of Champions.
Linden, who was Desiree Davila in high school and was a 2012 Olympian, battled brutally cold conditions to cross the finish line in 2-hours, 39:54-minutes for her first major international victory.
She was joined in the professional category by the San Diego Padres’ Christian Villanueva, Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Trevor Williams and Kalle Kassila of the San Diego Gulls.
Villanueva hit three homers in a single game and led the Padres regulars with a .321 batting average with 19 RBI and a total of eight homers. Williams, a graduate of Rancho Bernardo High, went 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA while Kassila led the Gulls with seven points (four goals, three assists) in the playoffs.
On the amateur front, San Diego State track standout Lisa-Anne Barrow moved to No. 2 on the Aztecs’ all-time long jump list with a fine 20-foot, 9 ¼ effort. She was joined by Cal State San Marcos golfer Jaime Jacob and pitcher Austin Ott, UC San Diego softball player Robyn Wampler, USD golfer Dalton Hankamer and Point Loma Nazarene baseball pitcher Micah Pries.
Cathedral Catholic’s Megan Faraimo tossed a pair of no-hitters to finish the month and lead the group of six high school honorees. Joining her were Torrey Pines pitcher Joe Magrisi and Falcon lacrosse player Sophia LeRose; La Costa Canyon boys lacrosse standout JJ Sillstrop; Valhalla golfer Cameron Sisk and Madison sprinter Kenan Christon.
PROFESSIONAL
DESIREE LINDEN, Distance Running, Boston Marathon, Hilltop High alumnus—Battling the icy-cold elements as well as 13,390 rivals, Linden (formerly Davila) scored the biggest victory of her career by capturing the 122nd Boston Marathon. The 34-year-old two-time Olympian covered the hallowed 26.2-mile race in 2-hours, 39.54-minutes, becoming the first American female to win since 1985.
CHRISTIAN VILLANUEVA, Baseball, San Diego Padres—Hitting a record three home runs in a single game was the highlight but the Padres’ third-baseman had a big overall month. Hitting .321, he scored 15 runs, drove in 19 and added five more home runs. Villanueva posted a .411 OBP, .692 slugging average and a 1,103 OPS.
TREVOR WILLIAMS, Baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rancho Bernardo High alumnus—Opponents didn’t have much luck against the Pirates’ starter who posted a 4-1 record with a 2.29 ERA. Williams started six games and in 35.1 innings he struck out 23 batters while walking 17. He allowed one home run and had a 1.132 WHIP.
KALLE KOSSILA, Ice Hockey, San Diego Gulls—With four goals and three assists, Kossila was a consistent scorer for the Gulls in the post-season playoffs. He had a goal and two assists against Ontario and added a second three-point effort with two goals and another assist in the season finale against Tucson. He led the Gulls in points (21-33=54), goals and assists in 55 games in his second season.
AMATEUR
JAIME JACOB, Golf, CSUSM, La Costa Canyon High alumnus—With a 4-over 220, Jacob became the school’s first California Collegiate Athletic Association champion. With the victory, Jacob was named the CCAA Golfer of the Year and was ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II play. Her 67 on the second round of the CCAA championship was the national best.
MICAH PRIES, Baseball, PLNU—Behind Pries, Point Loma Nazarene rolled to a perfect 12-0 month and into second place in the PacWest standings. The sophomore hit .407 with six doubles, five home runs, 20 RBI and 16 runs scored. In the bottom of the 14th against Fresno Pacific, Pries finished the game with a walk-off grand slam to win 10-6.
LISA-ANNE BARROW, Track, SDSU—The junior made her presence known by long jumping 20-feet-9 ¼ (No. 2 all-time SDSU), clocking a 52.71 in the 400 (No. 3 all-time), running a leg on the 4×400 relay at 3:44.11 (No. 3 all-time) and being a member of the Aztec 4×100 relay team that sped to a 44.54 (No. 8 all-time).
AUSTIN OTT, Baseball, CSUSM, Vista High alumnus—A junior, Ott batted .418 (28-for-67) with four doubles, three triples and three home runs. The Vista native recorded 10 multi-hit games and registered two saves on the mound, striking out four in 2.1 innings. Ott tallied 15 runs and 15 RBIs. He finished the month on a 14-game hit streak
ROBYN WAMPLER, Softball, UC San Diego—Just a freshman, the left-hander compiled a 1.31 ERA to go with a 7-2 record during which time she struck out 70 batters in 64.1 innings, including a career high 12 against Cal State Dominguez. She had two other double-digit strikeout performances and earned CCAA Pitcher of the Week three straight times. She is 23-7 overall.
DALTON HANKAMER, Golf, USD—Playing in two major tournaments, the sophomore averaged a team-best 71.6. In the Geiberger Invitational, Hankamer placed 13th with a 1-under par 215 (69-77-69). In the WCC Championships at Carlton Oaks, he opened with a 69 and followed up with rounds of 74-72 to finish 1-under par 215. He was named All-WCC honorable mention.
HIGH SCHOOL
JOE MAGRISI, Baseball, Torrey Pines—Whether it’s on the mound, where he’s a perfect 8-0 with a 0.50 ERA, or at the plate, where he’s batting .354 with 22 RBI and six homers, the Falcons senior is a dominant force. To finish the month he tossed three straight shutouts, including a pair of 1-hitters. He has fanned 69 batters against six walks all year.
MEGAN FARAIMO, Softball, Cathedral Catholic—Focusing on softball certainly hasn’t hurt the senior who has won her last 16 straight games, including back-to-back no hitters to end the month. Faraimo is 19-2 on the season with a 0.26 ERA, striking out 277 batters. Read more. She’s certainly no easy out at the plate, either, batting .310 with six home runs.
J.J. SILLSTROP, Boys Lacrosse, La Costa Canyon—Headed to the University of Denver in the fall, the senior led the Mavericks to the No. 2 ranking in the state and No. 10 in the nation. He had 31 goals and 10 assists for the month giving him 59 goals and 15 assists this season. LCC went 6-1 to improve its overall record to 14-2.
SOPHIA LeROSE, Girls Lacrosse, Torrey Pines—Already recognized as the top goalie in the section by making All-Section a year ago, LeRose has not let up one bit as she recorded 72 saves and allowed just 41 goals in April to lead the Falcons to a 8-0 record, 16-2 overall. Torrey Pines is ranked No. 3 in the state and 14th nationally. Visit this site right here.
CAMERON SISK, Golf, Valhalla—Capped another big month by winning the Grossmont Hills title. Although Sisk, a senior, and Steele Canyon’s Shea Lague tied at 72, Sisk captured the championship in a playoff. Sisk was the medalist for the Norsemen numerous times during the month.
KENAN CHRISTON, Track, Madison—A multi-sport athlete, there simply was no one better than the Warhawks junior in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. After clocking a 10.58 in the 100 at Mt. Carmel and a 21.42 in the 200 at Runge, he swept to victory at the Cerveny Invitational before wrapping up the month with a double win at the Escondido Invitational.
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