Breitbard Stars of the Month, March, 2005

March, 2005

Breitbard Stars of the Month

PROFESSIONAL

JIMMIE JOHNSON (NASCAR, El Cajon) – Jimmie Johnson got off to a quick start in the 2005 NASCAR season as he won the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 13 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The win and four other top five finishes this year placed Johnson atop the 2005 NASCAR standings at the end of the month. The victory was the 15th of the El Cajon driver’s career and first of the season after winning eight times to finish second in the 2004 standings. Johnson led a race-high 107 laps en route to the Las Vegas victory.

EDDY FERHI (Hockey, San Diego Gulls) – Gulls goalie Eddy Ferhi notched the first two shutouts of his professional career in the month of March. The Gulls defeated the Fresno Falcons 5-0 on March 5 and beat the Long Beach Ice Dogs 2-0 on March 25. Ferhi was named the Gulls’ Player of the Month. He finished March with a 13-12-1 record for the season. He has a .916 save percentage and a 2.78 goals against average. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League assigned Ferhi on Dec. 10 to the Gulls.

AMATEUR

ROSANNA DeLURGIO (Women’s swimming, UC San Diego) – UC San Diego senior Rosanna Delurgio capped off her collegiate career with three NCAA Division II titles and an NCAA Division II record at the 2005 NCAA Division II Swimming and Ddiving Championships March 9-12 in Orlando, Fla.. Delurgio won titles in the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke and on the 400-relay team. She won the 200 breast in a record time of 2 minutes, 13.80 seconds. For her career, she has captured eight NCAA Division II titles to make her the most decorated women’s swimmer in school history. The Santa Cruz Soquel High alumnus was the first UCSD women swimmer to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials last summer.

KURT BOEHM (Men’s swimming, UC San Diego) – UC San Diego senior Kurt Boehm was named the NCAA Division II Men’s Swimmer of the Year at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships March 9-12 in Orlando, Fla. Boehm, Erlangrew, Germany, won the national title in the 200 individual medley. He is the first UCSD men’s swimmer to be named the national swimmer of the year.

SHAYLA BALENTINE (Women’s track and field, San Diego State) --- San Diego State senior Shayla Balentine won the pole vault at the Florida Relays on March 25 with a mark of 13 feet, 6 ¼ inches that at the time was the No. 1 college mark in the nation for the 2005 season. The mark also ranked No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 4 in the world. Balentine was the Mountain West Conference Co-Track and Field Athlete of the Week. Balentine, the 2001 CIF state champion from Los Osos High in Morro Bay, earlier in the year won the MWC Indoor Championships title.

CANDICE WIGGINS (Women’s basketball, Stanford/La Jolla Country Day) – Stanford freshman Candice Wiggins was named a first-team All-America by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The 5-foot-11 guard is the first Stanford freshman to be named a first-team All-American choice. She previously became the first freshman named the Pac-10 Women’s Player of the Year. The La Jolla Country Day alumnus from Poway led the Cardinal to the Pac-10 title and No. 1 regular-season national ranking entering the NCAA Tournament. She averaged 17.5 points and 5.4 rebounds a game and recorded four double-doubles. Stanford advanced to the Elite Eight.

CHARDE HOUSTON (Women’s basketball, UConn/San Diego High) – The UConn freshman was named All-Big East Freshman team and a third-team choice on the All-Big East team. Houston, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward, led the defending national champion Huskies in blocks (49) and steals (51). She was third in scoring (10.8) and second in rebounding (5.4). UConn was eliminated by Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen.

COLTON NICHOLS (Wrestling state champion, Poway High) – The Poway High senior led the Titans to the CIF State Wrestling Championships team title by winning the 215-pound weight class. Poway won with a state-record total of 167 team points. Nichols recorded one of the most dominant individual seasons in San Diego high school wrestling history. His record was 44-1 with 34 pins. He was ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation throughout the year. Nichols’ only loss was to the nation’s No. 1-ranked wrestler in finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions, an annual national event over the Christmas holidays.

PREPS

LANCE HURDLE (Boys basketball, Helix High) – The Helix High senior led the Highlanders to the CIF San Diego Section Division I title while earning All-State honors from CalHiSports.com team. The 6-foot guard was named to CalHi’s Elite third team (all divisions) as well as to the Division I team. Hurdle averaged 24.1 points a game and has signed a scholarship commitment to UC Santa Barbara.

JAMEL WALLACE (Boys soccer, Oceanside High) – The Oceanside High senior was named the Boys Soccer Player of the Year on the Breitbard All-CIF team. He scored 16 goals for the 14-4-4 Pirates to establish a career record of 42. The forward has committed to a scholarship offer from San Diego State.

KELLEY BIRCH (Girls soccer, Torrey Pines High) – The Torrey Pines High senior was named the Girls Soccer Player of the Year on the Breitbard All-CIF team. She led a young Falcons lineup to the Palomar League title and a runner-up finish in the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs. Birch, who has committed to a scholarship offer from Stanford, finished the year with 11 goals and 11 assists.

ALLISON DUFFY (Girls basketball, El Capitan High) – The El Capitan junior averaged 21.2 points a game while leading the Vaqueros to the Grossmont North League title and earning All-State honors from CalHiSports.com. The 6-1 forward was named to CalHi’s Elite third team and to the Division II team. El Capitan advanced to the CIF San Diego Section Division II final before losing to rival Mount Miguel.

JERICA WILLIAMS (Girls basketball, Mount Miguel High) – The Mount Miguel High junior was named the Girls Basketball Player of the Year on the Breitbard All-CIF team. She led the Matadors to a third straight CIF San Diego Section Division II title and a runner-up finish in the Southern California Regional Division II playoffs. The Matadors lost to eventual state-champion Fullerton Troy. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.0 assists a game.

LaTOYA CUNNINGHAM (Girls basketball, La Jolla Country Day) – The La Jolla Country Day senior guard, playing as a tandem with Mercedes Fox Griffin, helped the Torreys continue their success in the first year of the post-Candice Wiggins era. LJCD won the its fifth straight CIF San Diego Section title in the Division IV playoffs and advanced to a fifth straight Southern California Regional final before finishing as the Division IV runner-up. The Miami-bound Cunningham averaged 11.7 points a game and was named to CalHiSports.com’s All-State Division IV team.

MERCEDES FOX-GRIFFIN (Girls basketball, La Jolla Country Day) – The La Jolla Country Day senior guard, playing as a tandem with LaToya Cunningham, helped the Torreys continue their success in their first year of the post-Candice Wiggins era. LJCD won the its fifth straight CIF San Diego Section title in the Division IV playoffs and advanced to a fifth straight Southern California Regional final before finishing as the Division IV runner-up. The Oregon State-bound Fox-Griffin averaged 10.1 points a game and was named to CalHiSports.com’s All-State Division IV team.

DEREK SCOTT (Boys track and field, El Camino High) – The senior pole vaulter cleared 16 feet, 8 inches in the Sundevil Invitational on March 26 to set a CIF San Diego Section record. He broke the 10-year-old mark of 16-4 set by Torrey Pines’ Mike Brown. Scott’s 16-8 moved him to No. 1 in the nation in the outdoor season after earlier in the year holding the No. 1 indoor mark in the nation at 16-2 when he won the Reno Summit.