Valdosta State will get a chance to defend its NCAA Division II softball title, thanks to Saturday’s 8-3 win over Alabama-Huntsville in the South Super Regional final.

The Blazers lost to the Chargers 5-4 on a walk-off earlier Saturday, setting up the big elimination game.

Valdosta State improved to 46-11 while Alabama-Huntsville’s season ended at 43-13.

The Blazers will open the tournament on Thursday in Salem, Va. against Molloy.

Fran Johnson, a sophomore from FPD, was one of three Blazers with two hits in the championship, and she scored a run. Her sister Morgan had one hit, but scored twice.

Georgia Tech, Georgia continue in NCAA golf

Bo Andrews played flawlessly in the final 16 holes and shot a 4-under-par 68 Saturday, lifting seventh-ranked Georgia Tech to a 3-under-par final round of 285 and a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The Yellow Jackets have advanced to play in the NCAA Division I men’s golf Championship beginning May 28.

Georgia shot an 827 to take second in the Tempe Regional, 17 strokes behind UCLA.

Lee McCoy tied for fourth with a 7-under 203 and Joey Garber was in the group at 13th with a 3-under 207.

Kennesaw State finished tied for 10th with Vanderbilt in Tempe.

Georgia Tech and Georgia advance to the 30-team NCAA championship. The top five teams from each of the six regional tournaments continue to the tournament, hosted from May 28-June 2 at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course in Milton.

North Florida’s 830 won the Tallahassee Region.

Mercer’s Hans Reimers and Trey Rule failed to qualify in individual action.

Reimers tied for 27th with a 214 and Rule tied for 60th with a 225.

Georgia Southern finished 12th in the regional in Columbus, Ohio with a 915, led by Christian Humber, who tied for 43rd with a 225.

Georgia State’s Jonathan Grey lost to South Alabama’s Tyler Klava in a playoff in the Baton Rouge regional and won’t advance.

Arizona State nips Georgia

Regional host and fifth-seeded Arizona State got all it needed in the third inning to beat Georgia 2-0 Saturday in the NCAA Division I softball regional.

The Bulldogs played the San Jose State-San Diego State loser late Saturday in an elimination game. Georgia beat San Diego State 9-3 to open the tournament.

The Bulldogs fell to 39-20 while the Sun Devils improved to 47-10.

Anna Swafford managed Georgia’s lone hit against Dallas Escobedo, who struck out 11.

Purvis perfect, but Eagles eliminated

With elimination on the line, former Northside standout Sarah Purvis responded with her second career perfect game as the Eagles ousted Hampton from the NCAA softball tournament 3-0 on Saturday.

It was the second perfect game in program history and sent the Eagles into a showdown later Saturday with South Florida. Purvis was sharp again, but South Florida eked out a 2-1 nine-inning win to end Georgia Southern’s season at 32-30.

Purvis whiffed six batters to improve to 18-15 in the win over Hampton, and ran to 25 straight innings her streak without allowing an earned run.

South Florida got to Brooke Red, also from Northside, for a second-inning run in the night game, and the Bulls took the lead with an unearned run against Purvis in the top of the ninth and held on.

Graduation is just days away. Then, they’ll be moving on to the next phases of their life.

For many, it’s not a day too soon.

But for one Mesa student, Thursday’s graduation ceremony is actually a year early.

That’s because Kimran Sidhu, 16, is graduating from high school after just three years.

Last fall, the idea was planted by Kimran’s dad and school counselor. Both realized she just needed a few more credits to above what she already had planned in order to meet graduation requirements.

Kimran said she didn’t jump at the idea – at first.

“Then I thought about it and it sounded like a great idea,” she said. To make it happen, not only did Kimran take four classes at Red Mountain, but she took online courses.

She also had to transition into thinking like a senior earlier. So in the fall, she put her application in to Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. Shortly after, she received her acceptance letter and started her plans.

In the meantime, her older brother started attending the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. The program takes students – local and international – right out of high school and trains them to be doctors, a concept somewhat foreign in America, but familiar to Kimran and her parents, who are pharmacists originally from India.

“I already knew I was going to be a doctor,” she said. And being from India, “We always knew you didn’t have to do the four-year undergraduate route, but those kids who know what they want to do, they go straight from high school to graduate school.”

With her family supporting her, and the idea that, “it doesn’t hurt to apply,” Kimran submitted her application in December, did an interview in New York this past spring and learned a few weeks later she’d been accepted.

So now, she will report to Ireland in September, along with her brother, and should graduate with her medical degree by 22.

“For me, I’m not a procrastinator. When I come home from school, I get my homework done right away. I don’t wait for anything. I knew I had a deadline,” Kimran said.

As far as her plans for Ireland, “It is scary when I look at it. I’m going overseas. I’m leaving my family, but, part of it is my mom always said, ‘Get your studies done younger and you’ll enjoy more later,’” Kimran said.

Kimran will put on a cap and gown with 750 of her fellow Red Mountain High graduates Thursday night.

“It’s kind of shocking. But I’ve always been know as more mature, even through elementary school, I was one year younger than everyone,” she said. “But I cope with it well and get along with all people. That helped me.”

Mesa Unified School District campuses are scheduled to host graduation ceremonies Thurday night.

Graduation also will be held Thursday in Gilbert Unified School District’s Campo Verde High School, Gilbert High School, Highland High School and Mesquite High School. Desert Ridge High School and Gilbert Classical Academy will hold their ceremonies Wednesday.

Higley High School students will graduate Wednesday while sister school Williams Field High School will hold its ceremony Thursday.

Local Graduation Ceremonies:

Apache Junction High School: Wednesday, May 23

Gilbert Unified School District: Wednesday, May 22 (Desert Ridge HS, Gilbert Classical Academy); Thursday, May 23 (Campo Verde HS; Gilbert HS; Highland HS; Mesquite HS)

Higley Unified School District: Wednesday, May 22 (Higley HS); Thursday, May 23 (Williams Field HS

Mesa Unified School District: Thursday, May 23 (all schools)

Tempe Union High School District: Thursday, May 23 (all schools)

Queen Creek High School: Friday, May 24

Chandler Unified School District: Wednesday, May 29 (all schools)

- To learn more about other students in the Class of 2013, check out student profiles and lists of their top students from each district at evtnow.com/eastvalleyednews.

- To submit a profile about the top graduates in your East Valley school, contact Michelle Reese at mreese@evtrib.com.

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TEMPE - It isn't easy to take the circle a day after throwing a no-hitter, and somehow one-up your own performance.

But that's exactly what Dallas Escobedo did Saturday, tossing a one-hit shutout as No. 5 Arizona State defeated Georgia 2-0 in the Tempe Regional at Farrington Stadium.

Escobedo struck out 11 and walked one in seven innings to improve to 27-4, less than 24 hours after throwing the first postseason no-hitter in ASU history Friday against San Jose State.

The Sun Devils (47-10) advance to the regional final, which will be played at 3 p.m. today against Georgia. If ASU loses the first game, a second will follow right after.

Escobedo has been nothing short of incredible lately for ASU. The junior right-hander has allowed just one hit in her past 21 innings, dating to a May 9 game against Oregon. Saturday was arguably her best outing of the season, topping even Friday's no-hitter in which she gave up three walks and two unearned runs in a 5-2 ASU win.

"(Friday), I didn't really feel as great as I did (Saturday)," Escobedo said. "I was throwing harder, I had a better bullpen warming up and I just felt more locked in. … I took my time, I was in charge, my pitches were going up. It was a good day."

Escobedo had her signature rise ball working to perfection Saturday, inducing several swings and misses up out of the zone. The only thing preventing her from consecutive no-hitters was an infield single in the top of the sixth.

With two outs in the inning, Anna Swafford hit a soft liner up the middle. ASU junior shortstop Cheyenne Coyle fielded it on a hop but her throw to first was late, breaking up the no-no.

Coyle can take solace in the fact that for the second consecutive day, she came up with the go-ahead hit for the Sun Devils. With two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the third, she hit a cue shot off the end of her bat toward second base. The ball's spin caused it to take an unexpected bounce when it hit the dirt, allowing junior right fielder Bailey Wigness to score from second as it trickled into center field.

Three Arizona State freshmen pitchers combined to limit Arizona to three runs Saturday night in a 6-3 baseball win that takes the entire Territorial Cup Series down to the final rivalry meeting of the school year.

The winner of Sunday’s 12:30 p.m. game wins the baseball point in the Territorial Cup Series, which ASU believes it leads 9.5 points to 8.5 and UA insists is tied at 8.5. The schools are in dispute over whether men’s indoor track should count in the series.

The point is moot if No. 15 ASU (34-16-1, 15-11 Pac-12) wins Sunday. If UA (30-21, 11-15) wins, it probably would win overall even counting men’s indoor track because of its substantial lead in the tiebreaking Directors’ Cup standings.

“We treat that stuff pretty serious around here,” ASU coach Tim Esmay said. “It’s a body of work by all our programs, with the fall sports and going into the winter sports and now it’s down to one game. We’re going to embrace that.”

UA won the Territorial Cup in its first three years including 12.5-5.5 in 2011-12.

ASU feasted on UA’s unreliable bullpen in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie with three runs.

Kasey Coffman singled leading off against Augie Bill. Matthew Troupe (5-1) struck out Michael Benjamin then James McDonald floated a hit over shortstop Kevin Newman. Max Rossiter walked and so did Nathaniel Causey with the bases loaded. Trever Allen singled to left, driving in two more runs.

Closer Ryan Burr (4-2) struck out the side in the ninth to even the season baseball series at 2-2. He followed starter Ryan Kellogg, who pitched a strong 6 2/3 innings, and Brett Lilek.

Causey singled with one out in the ASU seventh, went to second on a wild pitch and scored the lead run on Allen’s single. UA coach Andy Lopez stuck with starter James Farris, who allowed first-pitch singles to Drew Stankiewicz and Dalton DiNatalie, scoring another run for 3-1.

UA got even with two runs in the eighth. Lilek hit leadoff batter Joseph Maggi then Johnny Field singled for the third time.

Right fielder Allen made a rare fielding error, allowing Maggi to score.

Brandon Dixon singled past a pulled-up infield with one out for 3-3.

The series and ASU Pac-12 home season wraps up. Zak Miller (4-0, 4.28 ERA) is on the mound for the Sun Devils in his third start against UA. Tyler Crawford (5-2, 3.96), who pitched the ninth inning Friday to earn a save, scheduled for the Wildcats.

The top-ranked Cal men's golf team broke the modern-era NCAA season wins record Saturday when it closed out the NCAA Pullman (Wash.) Regional for its 11th title in 13 tournaments.

Michael Weaver shot a 2-under-par 70 and became Cal's first regional individual medalist at 14-under 202, tied with USC's Sam Smith (76). There was no playoff.

The Bears advanced to the 30-team field at the NCAA championship on May 28-June 2 in Alpharetta, Ga., finishing at 43-under 821. Saint Mary's (842) also advanced after placing third.

Cal's Joel Stalter was third with a 10-under 206, and teammate Brandon Hagy was fifth at 8-under 208.

Saint Mary's was led by Mac McClung, who was fourth at 9-under 207.

Stanford fell short of qualifying for the NCAA tournament by two spots, finishing seventh at the regional in Columbus, Ohio.

San Jose State's Cody Blick finished in a tie for 50th at the regional in Tempe, Ariz., shooting a final-round 1-over 71.

Softball

Jolene Henderson pitched a no-hitter as the Cal softball team stayed alive in its NCAA regional with a 6-0 victory over Valparaiso on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Earlier, the Golden Bears fell 5-0 to Michigan. But they rebounded against Valparaiso behind Henderson's fourth career no-hitter.

Khala Taylor led Cal offensively, going 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI. Britt Vonk went 2 for 3 and scored a run.

Against Michigan, Ashley

Cal needs to beat Michigan twice Sunday to advance to the Super Regionals.

Stanford also bounced back from an earlier loss, defeating Northern Iowa 4-1 in the nightcap.

Hanna Winter went 3 for 4 with two runs, and Tegan Schmidt, Kayla Bonstrom and Jenna Rich had two hits apiece.

Leah White went 2 for 4 with an RBI in Stanford's 7-1 loss to Nebraska earlier in the day. The Cardinal must beat Nebraska twice Sunday to advance to the Super Regionals.

In Tempe, Ariz., San Jose State was ousted from the regionals with a 5-2 loss to San Diego State.

Markesha Collins and Jessica Garcia each hit a solo home run for the Spartans.

Baseball

Brian Ragira, Danny Diekroeger and Alex Blandino each had two hits and two RBIs as Stanford defeated host Cal 9-4.

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Georgia softball team dropped a 2-0 decision to regional host and fifth-seeded Arizona State on Saturday at Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. Georgia is now 39-20 on the season, while Arizona State improves to 47-10.

Chelsea Wilkinson took the loss for the Bulldogs to fall to 8-5 on the year. She allowed two runs on six hits in the complete-game performance. Dallas Escobedo threw a complete-game one hitter to improve to 27-4 on the year. She allowed just one hit and struck out 11 in the win.

Kaylee Puailoa gave the Bulldogs their first base runner of the game when she drew a one-out walk. She moved to second on a groundout to second, but pinch runner Maya Branch was left stranded as the final batter was caught looking.

After Wilkinson retired the first eight batters in order, Bailey Wigness and Alix Johnson strung together back-to-back singles to put runners at first and second with two outs in the bottom of the third. Cheyenne Coyle then doubled home Wigness to give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead, but Branch threw out Johnson at home to end the inning.

Wilkinson settled in and retired four of the next six batters she faced, keeping the potent Arizona State offense at bay for the next two innings.

Spring sprang, and now summer has set in.

But before everyone scurries away on vacations, summer passing leagues and other non-high school hi-jinx, let’s take a quick pause to remember the months of April and May, in which more champions were crowned, memories were made and, sadly, others’ dreams were dashed.

From juggernauts to newbies and some real-life drama in between, here’s the best the high school spring sports state tournaments had to offer.

It was pretty good.

Brown Road dynasty

Every year the Arizona softball landscape grows wider and deeper in talent, and every year for the past four years, it hasn’t mattered at the end. Red Mountain’s run as perennial state title contenders began in 2006, and not only has it not stopped, it’s gotten stronger. The three-time defending state champion Lions dominated their state tournament competition, outscoring opponents 39-9 in five Division I tournament games, including a 9-5 win over Chaparral in the championship game, the second consecutive year Red Mountain has gone undefeated through the state tournament. In addition to a fifth consecutive state championship game appearance (the Lions have won four straight and lost to Basha in 2009), the Lions are the first school in the biggest enrollment classifications (Division I/Class 5A) to win four consecutive championships in Arizona softball history. Bad news (again) for the rest of Div. I: Only one of the team’s four seniors who’ll be lost to graduation was an everyday player (TJ Beeson). That means the likes of ace Bre Macha, No. 2 pitcher Marian Ruf, catcher Jordan Beck, infielders Alyssa Fernandez, McKenzy Gutierrez and Ashley Hill, along with outfielder Alex Wiley are all slated to go after No. 5.

Tournament treats

Red Mountain may have ran away with another softball state title, but part of the beauty of the single/double elimination formats are always the schools which sneaked up on the rest of the field. Desert Ridge did no such thing per se, having beaten Red Mountain twice (first time since 2007 any school has beaten the Lions twice in the same season), Chaparral, Perry, Gilbert and Basha. Jen Broderick’s team made its biggest push through the state tournament in a few years behind a freshman ace in Bailey Klitzke and some solid defense before eventually falling to Horizon and Red Mountain in the field of 8. Speaking of Chaparral, the Firebirds struggled against their only good competition in the final few weeks of the season, and then the wheels appeared to come off: injuries (players and coach Stefanie Ewing), assistant coaches quitting before the start of the state tournament and starting infielder Blakeley Koziol lost a close friend to a drug overdose to begin postseason. Yet behind a core group of Dallas McBride, Ashtyn and Kendra Coleman, Alana Anderson and Koziol, Chaparral took state runner-up honors after reaching its first championship game since 2007.

Desert Mountain navigates distractions

Brian Stephenson left Westwood for the Desert Mountain baseball opening last year after the school fired coach Bryan Rice. The Wolves played well all season, but on April 19, Stephenson was among many teachers who lost their jobs at the school as a result of district-wide cuts. The team surged on, and by the time Stephenson got his job back late in the season, everything lined up. While the state tournament was full of upsets, Desert Mountain went undefeated to claim its first title. Third baseman David Greer lined a walkoff, RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat Chaparral, 4-3, in eight innings. The Wolves finished the season 31-4 and were the clear-cut top team by the end of the year.

Ky Westbrook and Devon Allen dominate again

At the beginning of the final day of the state track and field championships, Ky Westbrook and Devon Allen weren’t quite measuring up to their ultra-high standards. Westbrook breezed to the 100-meter dash title but wasn’t too excited about her time. Allen won the 110-meter high hurdles but then lost the 100-meter dash to Mountain Pointe star sophomore Paul Lucas. By the end of the night, though, both would shine. Westbrook came back and set an all-time state record by finishing the 200-meter dash in 23.39 seconds, which was more than two tenths of a second faster than former Peoria star Jessica Onyepunuka’s old record of 23.60 seconds, set in 2004. It was the second state record of the year for Westbrook, who broke the shot put distance at the Chandler City Meet with a throw of 47 feet, 9 inches, surpassing the record of 47-5 set by Chandler’s Cindy Johnson in 1980. She finished with state championships in the 100, 200 and shot put. Allen was challenged in the 300 hurdles by Bobby Grant but broke away at the end for the title. He then exacted some revenge on Lucas by winning the 200 in 20.98 seconds, capping the final meet of his illustrious career with three state titles and a runner-up finish.

Early exits

The single-elimination format in the first two rounds of the baseball and softball tournaments didn’t have a huge effect last season, but it sent many elite teams home early this year. Basha, which had won two state softball titles and made the finals four times in the past five seasons, was knocked out in the second round by Chaparral. Gilbert, a perennial contender and the No. 4 seed, lost in the second round to upstart-Desert Vista. On the baseball side, preseason No. 1 Hamilton lost in the opening round to Corona del Sol, while other top teams like Desert Ridge, Horizon, Brophy, Sandra Day O’Connor, Gilbert and St. Mary’s were all dispatched before the double-elimination rounds commenced. The tournament changes expanded the field from 16 to 24 teams, and the single-elimination portion added another wrinkle to the sports’ already-unpredictable postseasons.

Legally blind pole vaulter finishes sixth at state

Aria Ottmueller wouldn't take no for an answer, pestering Valley Christian track and field coach Dan Kuiper to give her a shot the pole vault. What was his holdup? Well, Ottmueller was born completely blind, and though she regained some vision, can still only see at a 20-400 ratio due to optic nerve hypoplasia. Ottmueller first did distance running before asking for a chance at the pole vault. Even though she can't see while running down the runway, the Trojans' junior qualified for the state championships by clearing 6 feet, 7 inches, and then vaulted 7-6 for a sixth place finish in Division IV.

All-Gilbert gym

The gym was packed for the boys volleyball state championship match, as state — and, maybe more importantly to these two teams, town — bragging rights were on the line. Gilbert had the benefit of home court advantage when the predetermined neutral site was decided, but it was Highland which came away with the title. The Tigers won two of three regular season matches, but the favored Hawks captured the hardware with ease, rolling to the 25-20, 25-20, 25-22 victory. Highland has been one of the most successful programs in the state for the past decade, but hadn’t won a state title since 2005. Not only did the Hawks achieve it, they did it by beating their rival in the finals.

Another private school parade

There’s no stopping Brophy and Xavier on the tennis courts these days.  Brophy didn’t lose a match in the team state tournament to repeat as Div. I team state champions, and the Broncos swept the team, singles (Hudson Blake) and doubles (David Akin and Michael Cowan) titles for the second time in 20 years. Their sister school, Xavier, did much the same on the girls’ side, moving through the Div. I team state tournament without losing a match en route to repeating as team champions, and swept the title trifecta with singles (Madison Clark after being the runner-up as a freshman last year) and doubles (Maggie Cohen and Scarlet Rush) for the first time since 1990. The private school prowess trickled down into Div. II, where Notre Dame’s Luke Carstens and Adrian Cordova won the boys doubles title before the Saints’ narrow loss to Tucson Ironwood Ridge for the team title.

Spring sprang, and now summer has set in.

But before everyone scurries away on vacations, summer passing leagues and other non-high school hi-jinx, let’s take a quick pause to remember the months of April and May, in which more champions were crowned, memories were made and, sadly, others’ dreams were dashed.

From juggernauts to newbies and some real-life drama in between, here’s the best the high school spring sports state tournaments had to offer.

It was pretty good.

Brown Road dynasty

Every year the Arizona softball landscape grows wider and deeper in talent, and every year for the past four years, it hasn’t mattered at the end. Red Mountain’s run as perennial state title contenders began in 2006, and not only has it not stopped, it’s gotten stronger. The three-time defending state champion Lions dominated their state tournament competition, outscoring opponents 39-9 in five Division I tournament games, including a 9-5 win over Chaparral in the championship game, the second consecutive year Red Mountain has gone undefeated through the state tournament. In addition to a fifth consecutive state championship game appearance (the Lions have won four straight and lost to Basha in 2009), the Lions are the first school in the biggest enrollment classifications (Division I/Class 5A) to win four consecutive championships in Arizona softball history. Bad news (again) for the rest of Div. I: Only one of the team’s four seniors who’ll be lost to graduation was an everyday player (TJ Beeson). That means the likes of ace Bre Macha, No. 2 pitcher Marian Ruf, catcher Jordan Beck, infielders Alyssa Fernandez, McKenzy Gutierrez and Ashley Hill, along with outfielder Alex Wiley are all slated to go after No. 5.

Tournament treats

Red Mountain may have ran away with another softball state title, but part of the beauty of the single/double elimination formats are always the schools which sneaked up on the rest of the field. Desert Ridge did no such thing per se, having beaten Red Mountain twice (first time since 2007 any school has beaten the Lions twice in the same season), Chaparral, Perry, Gilbert and Basha. Jen Broderick’s team made its biggest push through the state tournament in a few years behind a freshman ace in Bailey Klitzke and some solid defense before eventually falling to Horizon and Red Mountain in the field of 8. Speaking of Chaparral, the Firebirds struggled against their only good competition in the final few weeks of the season, and then the wheels appeared to come off: injuries (players and coach Stefanie Ewing), assistant coaches quitting before the start of the state tournament and starting infielder Blakeley Koziol lost a close friend to a drug overdose to begin postseason. Yet behind a core group of Dallas McBride, Ashtyn and Kendra Coleman, Alana Anderson and Koziol, Chaparral took state runner-up honors after reaching its first championship game since 2007.

Desert Mountain navigates distractions

Brian Stephenson left Westwood for the Desert Mountain baseball opening last year after the school fired coach Bryan Rice. The Wolves played well all season, but on April 19, Stephenson was among many teachers who lost their jobs at the school as a result of district-wide cuts. The team surged on, and by the time Stephenson got his job back late in the season, everything lined up. While the state tournament was full of upsets, Desert Mountain went undefeated to claim its first title. Third baseman David Greer lined a walkoff, RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat Chaparral, 4-3, in eight innings. The Wolves finished the season 31-4 and were the clear-cut top team by the end of the year.

Ky Westbrook and Devon Allen dominate again

At the beginning of the final day of the state track and field championships, Ky Westbrook and Devon Allen weren’t quite measuring up to their ultra-high standards. Westbrook breezed to the 100-meter dash title but wasn’t too excited about her time. Allen won the 110-meter high hurdles but then lost the 100-meter dash to Mountain Pointe star sophomore Paul Lucas. By the end of the night, though, both would shine. Westbrook came back and set an all-time state record by finishing the 200-meter dash in 23.39 seconds, which was more than two tenths of a second faster than former Peoria star Jessica Onyepunuka’s old record of 23.60 seconds, set in 2004. It was the second state record of the year for Westbrook, who broke the shot put distance at the Chandler City Meet with a throw of 47 feet, 9 inches, surpassing the record of 47-5 set by Chandler’s Cindy Johnson in 1980. She finished with state championships in the 100, 200 and shot put. Allen was challenged in the 300 hurdles by Bobby Grant but broke away at the end for the title. He then exacted some revenge on Lucas by winning the 200 in 20.98 seconds, capping the final meet of his illustrious career with three state titles and a runner-up finish.

Early exits

The single-elimination format in the first two rounds of the baseball and softball tournaments didn’t have a huge effect last season, but it sent many elite teams home early this year. Basha, which had won two state softball titles and made the finals four times in the past five seasons, was knocked out in the second round by Chaparral. Gilbert, a perennial contender and the No. 4 seed, lost in the second round to upstart-Desert Vista. On the baseball side, preseason No. 1 Hamilton lost in the opening round to Corona del Sol, while other top teams like Desert Ridge, Horizon, Brophy, Sandra Day O’Connor, Gilbert and St. Mary’s were all dispatched before the double-elimination rounds commenced. The tournament changes expanded the field from 16 to 24 teams, and the single-elimination portion added another wrinkle to the sports’ already-unpredictable postseasons.

Legally blind pole vaulter finishes sixth at state

Aria Ottmueller wouldn't take no for an answer, pestering Valley Christian track and field coach Dan Kuiper to give her a shot the pole vault. What was his holdup? Well, Ottmueller was born completely blind, and though she regained some vision, can still only see at a 20-400 ratio due to optic nerve hypoplasia. Ottmueller first did distance running before asking for a chance at the pole vault. Even though she can't see while running down the runway, the Trojans' junior qualified for the state championships by clearing 6 feet, 7 inches, and then vaulted 7-6 for a sixth place finish in Division IV.

All-Gilbert gym

The gym was packed for the boys volleyball state championship match, as state — and, maybe more importantly to these two teams, town — bragging rights were on the line. Gilbert had the benefit of home court advantage when the predetermined neutral site was decided, but it was Highland which came away with the title. The Tigers won two of three regular season matches, but the favored Hawks captured the hardware with ease, rolling to the 25-20, 25-20, 25-22 victory. Highland has been one of the most successful programs in the state for the past decade, but hadn’t won a state title since 2005. Not only did the Hawks achieve it, they did it by beating their rival in the finals.

Another private school parade

There’s no stopping Brophy and Xavier on the tennis courts these days.  Brophy didn’t lose a match in the team state tournament to repeat as Div. I team state champions, and the Broncos swept the team, singles (Hudson Blake) and doubles (David Akin and Michael Cowan) titles for the second time in 20 years. Their sister school, Xavier, did much the same on the girls’ side, moving through the Div. I team state tournament without losing a match en route to repeating as team champions, and swept the title trifecta with singles (Madison Clark after being the runner-up as a freshman last year) and doubles (Maggie Cohen and Scarlet Rush) for the first time since 1990. The private school prowess trickled down into Div. II, where Notre Dame’s Luke Carstens and Adrian Cordova won the boys doubles title before the Saints’ narrow loss to Tucson Ironwood Ridge for the team title.

Spring sprang, and now summer has set in.

But before everyone scurries away on vacations, summer passing leagues and other non-high school hi-jinx, let’s take a quick pause to remember the months of April and May, in which more champions were crowned, memories were made and, sadly, others’ dreams were dashed.

From juggernauts to newbies and some real-life drama in between, here’s the best the high school spring sports state tournaments had to offer.

It was pretty good.

Brown Road dynasty

Every year the Arizona softball landscape grows wider and deeper in talent, and every year for the past four years, it hasn’t mattered at the end. Red Mountain’s run as perennial state title contenders began in 2006, and not only has it not stopped, it’s gotten stronger. The three-time defending state champion Lions dominated their state tournament competition, outscoring opponents 39-9 in five Division I tournament games, including a 9-5 win over Chaparral in the championship game, the second consecutive year Red Mountain has gone undefeated through the state tournament. In addition to a fifth consecutive state championship game appearance (the Lions have won four straight and lost to Basha in 2009), the Lions are the first school in the biggest enrollment classifications (Division I/Class 5A) to win four consecutive championships in Arizona softball history. Bad news (again) for the rest of Div. I: Only one of the team’s four seniors who’ll be lost to graduation was an everyday player (TJ Beeson). That means the likes of ace Bre Macha, No. 2 pitcher Marian Ruf, catcher Jordan Beck, infielders Alyssa Fernandez, McKenzy Gutierrez and Ashley Hill, along with outfielder Alex Wiley are all slated to go after No. 5.

Tournament treats

Red Mountain may have ran away with another softball state title, but part of the beauty of the single/double elimination formats are always the schools which sneaked up on the rest of the field. Desert Ridge did no such thing per se, having beaten Red Mountain twice (first time since 2007 any school has beaten the Lions twice in the same season), Chaparral, Perry, Gilbert and Basha. Jen Broderick’s team made its biggest push through the state tournament in a few years behind a freshman ace in Bailey Klitzke and some solid defense before eventually falling to Horizon and Red Mountain in the field of 8. Speaking of Chaparral, the Firebirds struggled against their only good competition in the final few weeks of the season, and then the wheels appeared to come off: injuries (players and coach Stefanie Ewing), assistant coaches quitting before the start of the state tournament and starting infielder Blakeley Koziol lost a close friend to a drug overdose to begin postseason. Yet behind a core group of Dallas McBride, Ashtyn and Kendra Coleman, Alana Anderson and Koziol, Chaparral took state runner-up honors after reaching its first championship game since 2007.

Desert Mountain navigates distractions

Brian Stephenson left Westwood for the Desert Mountain baseball opening last year after the school fired coach Bryan Rice. The Wolves played well all season, but on April 19, Stephenson was among many teachers who lost their jobs at the school as a result of district-wide cuts. The team surged on, and by the time Stephenson got his job back late in the season, everything lined up. While the state tournament was full of upsets, Desert Mountain went undefeated to claim its first title. Third baseman David Greer lined a walkoff, RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat Chaparral, 4-3, in eight innings. The Wolves finished the season 31-4 and were the clear-cut top team by the end of the year.

Ky Westbrook and Devon Allen dominate again

At the beginning of the final day of the state track and field championships, Ky Westbrook and Devon Allen weren’t quite measuring up to their ultra-high standards. Westbrook breezed to the 100-meter dash title but wasn’t too excited about her time. Allen won the 110-meter high hurdles but then lost the 100-meter dash to Mountain Pointe star sophomore Paul Lucas. By the end of the night, though, both would shine. Westbrook came back and set an all-time state record by finishing the 200-meter dash in 23.39 seconds, which was more than two tenths of a second faster than former Peoria star Jessica Onyepunuka’s old record of 23.60 seconds, set in 2004. It was the second state record of the year for Westbrook, who broke the shot put distance at the Chandler City Meet with a throw of 47 feet, 9 inches, surpassing the record of 47-5 set by Chandler’s Cindy Johnson in 1980. She finished with state championships in the 100, 200 and shot put. Allen was challenged in the 300 hurdles by Bobby Grant but broke away at the end for the title. He then exacted some revenge on Lucas by winning the 200 in 20.98 seconds, capping the final meet of his illustrious career with three state titles and a runner-up finish.

Early exits

The single-elimination format in the first two rounds of the baseball and softball tournaments didn’t have a huge effect last season, but it sent many elite teams home early this year. Basha, which had won two state softball titles and made the finals four times in the past five seasons, was knocked out in the second round by Chaparral. Gilbert, a perennial contender and the No. 4 seed, lost in the second round to upstart-Desert Vista. On the baseball side, preseason No. 1 Hamilton lost in the opening round to Corona del Sol, while other top teams like Desert Ridge, Horizon, Brophy, Sandra Day O’Connor, Gilbert and St. Mary’s were all dispatched before the double-elimination rounds commenced. The tournament changes expanded the field from 16 to 24 teams, and the single-elimination portion added another wrinkle to the sports’ already-unpredictable postseasons.

Legally blind pole vaulter finishes sixth at state

Aria Ottmueller wouldn't take no for an answer, pestering Valley Christian track and field coach Dan Kuiper to give her a shot the pole vault. What was his holdup? Well, Ottmueller was born completely blind, and though she regained some vision, can still only see at a 20-400 ratio due to optic nerve hypoplasia. Ottmueller first did distance running before asking for a chance at the pole vault. Even though she can't see while running down the runway, the Trojans' junior qualified for the state championships by clearing 6 feet, 7 inches, and then vaulted 7-6 for a sixth place finish in Division IV.

All-Gilbert gym

The gym was packed for the boys volleyball state championship match, as state — and, maybe more importantly to these two teams, town — bragging rights were on the line. Gilbert had the benefit of home court advantage when the predetermined neutral site was decided, but it was Highland which came away with the title. The Tigers won two of three regular season matches, but the favored Hawks captured the hardware with ease, rolling to the 25-20, 25-20, 25-22 victory. Highland has been one of the most successful programs in the state for the past decade, but hadn’t won a state title since 2005. Not only did the Hawks achieve it, they did it by beating their rival in the finals.

Another private school parade

There’s no stopping Brophy and Xavier on the tennis courts these days.  Brophy didn’t lose a match in the team state tournament to repeat as Div. I team state champions, and the Broncos swept the team, singles (Hudson Blake) and doubles (David Akin and Michael Cowan) titles for the second time in 20 years. Their sister school, Xavier, did much the same on the girls’ side, moving through the Div. I team state tournament without losing a match en route to repeating as team champions, and swept the title trifecta with singles (Madison Clark after being the runner-up as a freshman last year) and doubles (Maggie Cohen and Scarlet Rush) for the first time since 1990. The private school prowess trickled down into Div. II, where Notre Dame’s Luke Carstens and Adrian Cordova won the boys doubles title before the Saints’ narrow loss to Tucson Ironwood Ridge for the team title.

May 18, 2013

Complete Results

TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona men's golf team competed in the third and final round of the 2013 NCAA Tempe Regional today. The event is taking place in Tempe, Ariz. at ASU Karsten Golf Course, a par-70, 7,036-yard course. The Wildcats posted a third round score of 291, giving them a total score of 859 (+19) for the tournament. Arizona finished the event in a tie for 12th place.

The Bruins of UCLA finished the tournament with a score of 810 (-30), giving them the victory by 17 strokes over Georgia and UCF. UCLA, Georgia, UCF, Texas A&M, and Arizona State each earned a bid at the NCAA Championships at the Capital City Club Crabapple Course in Atlanta, Ga., which will begin on May 28th.

UCF's Greg Eason maintained his lead by earning the individual victory with a score of 198 (-12). He finished four shots ahead of teammate Ricardo Gouveia and UCLA's Jonathan Garrick who each posted scores of 202 (-8). Austin Peay State's Dustin Korte qualified individually for the NCAA Championships by finishing in eighth place with a score of 204 (-6). 

Erik Oja had the lowest score of any other Wildcat for the event by carding a 208 (-2) over the past three rounds. He finished in a tie for 17th place. Senior Trent Redfern finished the tournament in a tie for 36th place by posting a 213 (+3). Juan Pablo Hernandez carded a 216 (+6) for the tournament, and finished in a tie for 45th place. Alex McMahon finished with a score of 222 (+12), and Brenden Redfern posted a total score of 236 (+26).   

For further coverage of the University of Arizona men's golf team, visit www.ArizonaWildcats.com.

Top-Five Teams

1.         UCLA; 268-273-269=810 (-30)
2.         Georgia; 280-274-273=827 (-13)
2.         UCF; 280-272-275=827 (-13)
4.         Texas A&M; 280-277-272=829 (-11)
5.         Arizona State; 284-274-274=832 (-8)

Top-Five Individuals

1.        Greg Eason; UCF, 65-63=128 (-12)
2.        Jonathan Garrick; UCLA, 69-69-64=202 (-8)
2.        Ricardo Gouveia; UCF, 68-66-68=202 (-8)
4.        Johannes Veerman; Texas A&M, 67-70-66=203 (-7)
4.        Anton Arboleda; UCLA, 67-69-67=203 (-7)
4.        Pedro Figueiredo; UCLA, 71-64-68=203 (-7)
4.        Lee McCoy; Georgia, 68-67-68=203 (-7)

Arizona Finishers

T17.    Erik Oja; 71-67-70=208 (-2)
T36.    Trent Redfern; 73-68-72=213 (+3)
T45.    Juan Pablo Hernandez; 73-69-74=216 (+6)
T59.    Alex McMahon; 75-72-75=222 (+12)
75.      Brenden Redfern; 77-81-78=236 (+26)