41 shares share tweet sms send email Xavier College Prep swim star Shelby Andrade at the Desert Sun studio on Tuesday. Xavier College Prep swim star Shelby Andrade at the Desert Sun studio on Tuesday. La Quinta track star Nirie Boglino Xavier College Prep. swim star Nathan Salmon on Wednesday, at the Desert Sun Studio in Palm Springs. Palm Desert tennis doubles players Alex Kuperstein and Brad Cummings, right, are the Desert Sun male tennis players of the year. Recent Palm Desert grad Travis Moniot, a four-year letterman for the Aztecs, was named The Desert Sun’s baseball player of the year for the 2015 season after taking his team to the CIF SS quarterfinals. Caitlyn Whiteside, Shadow Hills softball player is the Desert Sun softball player of the year. Photographed on June 16, 2015 at the Desert Sun Studio. Koty Burton, a junior at La Quinta High School, was named The Desert Sun’s boys track and field athlete of 2015 after finishing fourth in the 110 meter hurdles at the CIF StateTrack Meet. Top springs athletes. Travis Moniot Moniot graduated at Palm Desert as a four-year letterman of the baseball team, including three seasons as a consistent starter at shortstop. The switch-hitter won a CIF Southern Section Championship his freshman season and made a trip to the championship game again as a junior. Moniot was selected in the 34th round of this summer’s MLB Draft, but will instead play at least three years of college baseball at Oregon. He will bring a sharp mind on the base paths, a big bat at the plate and swift fielding skills to the Ducks next spring. Travis Moniot of Palm Desert High School is the Desert Sun’s top baseball player this season. Palm Desert coach Darol Salazar: “We don’t have captains. What we have are leaders, and the kids look to the leaders, and the leaders step up. He’s definitely been our leader, and that’s what I’m going to miss most: how he makes his teammates better, how he leads by example, and just his knowledge of the game…Not toomany people are four-year lettermen. If you can do that, that says you’ve got some talent.” Plans for college: Headed to Oregon to play baseball and get a degree in sports business. What are you most looking forward to this summer: “Playing baseball, because it’s the last summer for me to get to play with all my friends (on the Desert Prospects).” Favorite athlete: “Derek Jeter, because of how he carried himself on and off the field.” Favorite type of social media to use: Instagram and Twitter Favorite reality TV show: I don’t have one Favorite class in high school: 6th period baseball Favorite sport other than yours: Beach volleyball and football Any pregame routines or superstitions?: “I put tape on my left wrist, and I can’t be playing catch on the white line and don’t step on it. I also listen to music in my car at a 42 volume level in honor of Jackie Robinson.” Dream car: Audi R8 or a Ford Raptor Caitlyn Whiteside Whiteside was the backbone of the Shadow Hills softball program foreach of her four years, leading the Knights to three straight De Anza League titles and finishing her high school stint with two straight undefeated seasons in league play. The future Wilmington University commit was the team’s No. 1 starter each of her four years, compiling a 61-19 record with a 1.72 ERA. Caitlyn Whiteside, Shadow Hills softball player is the Desert Sun softball player of the year. Photographed on June 16, 2015 at the Desert Sun Studio. Shadow Hills coach Paul Mendoza: The way she played — her style and her competitiveness — inspired the other girls and raised the level for the whole team. She is well grounded, with a bright future, and I wish her success at the next level and know she will achieve her goals through hard work, just like all the awards she has received on the softball field. Plans for college: Headed to Wilmington University in Delaware to play softball and study psychology. What are you most looking forward to this summer: “I’m happy it’s my lastseason of travel softball. I’m looking forward to having fun playing and not worrying about college, as well as spending time with friends and family.” Favorite athlete: “Ally Carda (graduated senior pitcher for UCLA softball team) because I like her demeanor and her attitude on the mound.” Favorite type of social media to use: Instagram Favorite reality TV show: The Fosters Favorite class in high school: Psychology Favorite sport other than yours: Volleyball Any pregame routines or superstitions?: “Not really.” Dream car: Mercedes-Benz G-Class Nirie Boglino Boglino graduated at La Quinta as a consistent four-year contributor in each of her three primary events: long jump, triple jump and high jump. The future Sacramento State freshman qualified for the CIF SS Divisional prelims in each of her three events during her sophomore and junior seasons, reaching the Divisional finals just once in six tries. Her senior season, Boglino qualified for the finals in both the high jump and triplejump, riding the latter event all the way to the CIF State finals, finishing 12th. Weeks earlier, she blew away the Desert Valley League triple jump record with a mark of 38 feet, 3/4inches. La Quinta track star Nirie Boglino La Quinta coach Ryan Flores: “Up to this year there was Kayla (Wilson) and Megan (Huebner), and she was a big factor in the success, but they were getting the headlines in the paper. This year it was more her show, and she got that opportunity…For the last four years she’s been racking up the points. You’re going into league meets and knowing that Nirie is going to get first for you in three events.” Plans for college: Headed to Sacramento State to compete in track and field and major in Asian studies with a Japanese concentration. She hopes to become fluent in Japanese for a trip to the country in the future. What are you most looking forward to this summer: “I get a new workout schedule from my college coach in July, and I’m really excited to see what he has medoing.” Favorite athlete: “Mike Powell (former American track Olympian and world record holder in the long jump). I’ve met him a few times, and I met him at a camp and he wanted to work some with me. That was really cool.” Favorite type of social media to use: Instagram Favorite reality TV show: “I don’t watch reality TV.” Favorite class in high school: “All my science classes, but my favorite was geology.” Favorite sport other than yours: “Baseball, I’m a big New York Yankees fan.” Any pregame routines or superstitions?: “I just talk with my friends and relax and have a good time. That helps me prepare.” Dream car: Mini Cooper Shelby Andrade Andrade graduated as a four-year varsity swimmer at Xavier Prep, including a senior season where she was the team captain of the girls’ squad. In the pool, she never lost a single race before the CIF SS prelims. Andrade broke DVL records in both the 100 meter breaststroke and the 200 individual medley. She qualified for the CIF SS meetindividually in the 100 breaststroke and the 100 butterfly, finishing in the top 10 in both. The future Northeastern freshman also spearheaded the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams that qualified for the CIF SS meet. Xavier College Prep swim star Shelby Andrade at the Desert Sun studio on Tuesday. Xavier Prep coach Pavol Valovic: “It’s amazing to see the leaps she was making every year, becoming more and more dominant. And the more dominant she was becoming, the more humble she was becoming. It’s very amazing to see for a person doing such amazing things, she’s so down to earth and so normal despite doing such incredible things.” Plans for college: Headed to Northeastern to swim and will major in behavioral neuroscience. What are you most looking forward to this summer: “Hanging out with my friends until we have to part ways. Oh, and my family, too.” Favorite athlete: Ariana Kukors (American swimmer) Favorite type of social media to use: Twitter Favorite reality TV show:“I don’t really watch reality TV.” Favorite class in high school: “English, I like that form of expression.” Favorite sport other than yours: “I don’t really play or watch anything else. I watch swimming more than any other.” Any pregame routines or superstitions?: “Not really.” Dream car: “Just a car that drives.” Nathan Salmon Salmon, a four-year swimmer at Xavier Prep, finished his high school career with an undefeated senior season in the pool. The recent grad was the DVL champion in four events: the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay, and he qualified for the CIF SS prelims in each except for the 200 medley relay. In his team’s final DVL regular season meet, he swam the final leg of the 400 freestyle relay, the final event, and overtook a La Quinta swimmer with a more than half-pool length lead to preserve the Saints’ first DVL title in school history. Xavier College Prep. swim star Nathan Salmon on Wednesday, at the Desert Sun Studio in PalmSprings. Xavier Prep coach Pavol Valovic: “Nathan got where he is through hard work…He was able to do what he did because of everyday hard work whether it was in the gym, it was in the pool, out of the pool, trying to be the best he can. It was so rewarding to see that hard work does actually pay off.” Plans for college: Headed to Golden West Community College for one year, then hopes to attend the military academy and major in engineering. What are you most looking forward to this summer?: “Playing water polo, having a job and starting a new part of life.” Favorite athlete: “Lionel Messi. He’s humble; the best but humble.” Favorite type of social media to use: Instagram Favorite TV show: Burn Notice Favorite class in high school: “Math, specifically Calculus.” Favorite sport other than yours: Water polo Any pregame routines or superstitions?: “Before my race, I walk to the block, and I make two high jumps and then do jump twists to warm-up. Then, I do the Michael Phelps ‘arm flap.’ “Dream car: 1967 Mustang Fastback Koty Burton Burton, a junior, improved about two seconds in his primary event, the 110 meter hurdles, from the start of the season, making it all the way to the CIF State Finals and an all-state performance. Burton placed fourth in the race with a time of 14.20 seconds. His personal best for the season, a 14.16, was the fourth-fastest wind legal time in the state, and he’ll be the second-fastest returning sprinter next season. He also ran on La Quinta’s DVL record-setting 4×400 relay team that finished with a time of 3:23.95, breaking the record of 3:25.64 set in 2011 by an Indio team. Koty Burton, a junior at La Quinta High School, was named The Desert Sun’s boys track and field athlete of 2015 after finishing fourth in the 110 meter hurdles at the CIF State Track Meet. La Quinta coach Brian Ansley: “Last year he was just trying to get through practice, and this year he was trying to improve in practice, so it was a big difference…With his practice andwork ethic this year, that carried over to his success. When you see a kid that has such a natural ability, the sky is the limit. They just have to put in the work and they have to believe in themselves.” Plans for college: Wants to go to either ASU and get a degree in law and then go to the Naval Academy to become a Navy Seal. What are you most looking forward to this summer: “Personal training with my coach Dylan Nelson.” Favorite athlete: “Marshawn Lynch, because of his attitude.” Favorite type of social media to use: Twitter Favorite TV show: Law & Order SVU Favorite class in high school: Math Favorite sport other than yours: Football Any pregame routines or superstitions?: “My warmup, and on meet days I do everything exactly the same on Thursdays and Saturdays (meet days).” Dream car: 007 Aston Martin Alex Kuperstein and Brad Cummins Cummins took on the younger Kuperstein as his new doubles partner this season after winning a DVL doubles title his first two high school seasonsSprings, Tuesday, May 5, 2015. Xavier Prep coach Doug Daffern: “When Leo showed up to our program, it made the golfers we had coming back from last year bump up their play cause they knew in order to make the team this year they were going to have to play a lot better. Just his presence on the team and his demeanor and his willingness to help his teammates was incredible for our team.” , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   41 shares share tweet sms send email Related News 0 comments Follow Post comment   Link |