The year of the repeat

06-10-2006

By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions

For Chase Bundinger, this has become routine.

But for Morse's Darius Savage and a pair of Torrey Pines athletes, it was merely a repeat performance.

Four of the 12 spring sports boys and girls athletes were named the Player of the Year in their sport by duplicating last year's success.

In boys volleyball, La Costa Canyon senior Chase Budinger was the Player of the Year for the third straight season after leading the Mavericks to a CIF San Diego Section Division I title for the third straight year. The Arizona-bound basketball player -- he also led the Mavericks to their first Division I title and was named Player of the Year in hoops -- could be on a path to the NBA in basketball or the Olympics in volleyball.

Morse weight man Darius Savage was the boys track and field athlete of the year for the second straight time after sweeping the CIF titles in the shot put and discus as well as the CIF state titles in both events. The UCLA football recruit also set a San Diego Section record in the discus with a toss of 212 feet, 1 inch.

Two Torrey Pines juniors to repeat as CIF individual champions in their sports are boys tennis player Steve Forman and gymanast Colleen Lonac. Forman won the singles title and Lonac the optional all-around title.

In addition to Grossmont's A.J. Griffin in baseball, other boys earning Player-of-the-Year honors were La Costa Canyon senior Jeff Giddens in boys swimming, Rancho Bernardo senior Will Yeatman in boys lacrosse and Carlsbad sophomore Evan Emerick in boys golf.

In addition to Escondido's Sarah Akamine in softball, other girls named Player of the Year in their sport were Christian's Mandy Ross in girls track, Torrey Pines' Jessica Schmitt in girls swimming and Poway's Brandi Jones in girls lacrosse.

Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.