The Desert Sun names its top spring athletes for 2016 (2024)

June 25, 2016 10:02 am ET

This spring in the Coachella Valley saw multiple baseball and softball teams in the CIF semifinals, a CIF individual golf title, dominant league finals swimming performances, three track and field state finalists and a tennis team emerge as one of the top squads in the state. The Desert Sun selected its top athletes from each sport that led their teams to new heights this spring.

Mariah Estrada

The La Quinta High School senior capped off her third season as the Blackhawks’ premier pitching threat with a 14-5 record on 22 appearances in the team’s 31 games. Estrada registered a 1.97 ERA in 2016 in 138 innings pitched, striking out 141 batters while opponents had a 029 batting average. The senior was a member of four DVL title-winning teams. During her career with the Blackhawks, Estrada compiled a 36-12 record with a 1.93 ERA in 340 innings pitched, striking out 304 batters.

La Quinta coach DeDe Grutz: “After our loss to Palm Springs in the first round of DVL, Mariah was determined to not be the team that broke the (DVL title) streak. She pitched against Indio, Palm Springs and Palm Desert in the second round without giving up an earned run.”

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: Playing more softball with my travel team, the Temecula Fury.

What’s your favorite memory from this season?: Clinching another DVL title after that second game against Palm Springs.

What are you college plans?: I’ll be going to Simpson University to play softball and major in kinesiology, and I hope to become an athletic trainer.

Favorite athlete: Jennie Finch (former pitcher for USA Olympic softball team)

Favorite sport to watch other than softball: Baseball

Favorite sport to play other than softball: Volleyball

Do you have any pregame routines or superstitions?: The two days before I pitch, I’ll always practice from the same spot in practice.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: Disneyland

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: Playing in softball tournaments.

La Quinta gets back on track with dominant defeat of Aztecs

Jeremiah Estrada

The Palm Desert junior led the Aztecs on a deep run into this spring’s postseason to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals as the No. 2 seed in the bracket. The team’s top ace, Estrada compiled a 10-3 record with a 1.00 ERA in 77 innings. The junior gave up just 37 hits, 24 walks and 11 earned runs, striking out 112 batters. At the plate, Estrada, who’s verbally committed to UCLA, batted .302 with 26 hits, 15 RBIs, 17 runs scored, five doubles, four triples and one of the team’s four homers on the season.

Palm Desert coach Darol Salazar: “I think if he continues to improve like he did last year when he went from (pitching) 88 or 89 MPH and went to 91 or 92 and year he went from 90 or 91 to 94 or 95, if he continues to do that, he’ll probably be picked on the first day of the draft next year. He’s worked really hard to put himself in this position and could be one of the best pitchers to come out of the Coachella Valley.”

Favorite memory from the season: It’s hard to name because it was the best year I’ve had in baseball. I couldn’t have asked for anything more, and I just wish we could come back with the same team next year.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: I have a lot of tournaments, including the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars and the All-Area Code games around the country.

What are your college plans?: Right now, I’m planning on going to UCLA for a great college experience. I’d like to possibly major in engineering or look into being some type of doctor.

Favorite athlete: Albert Pujols, because I think his character is amazing.

Favorite sport to watch other than baseball: Football and basketball.

Favorite sport to play other than baseball: Football and basketball.

Do you have any pregame routines or superstitions?: I wake up, say a prayer, and listen to music all day. In the dugout before I pitch, I eat my favorite Danish bread.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: Disneyland

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: Going to malls with my family and eating at great restaurants. Spending time with family is the best.

Koty Burton

The La Quinta senior brought home the valley’s fourth-ever individual state track and field title in the 300-meter hurdles after the CIF State Track and Field Championships in Clovis. His winning time of 36.34 was the top high school time in California this spring, the No. 3 time in the country this spring and the 11th-best time in state history. Burton also qualified for the state meet in the 110-meter hurdles after winning the CIF Masters Meet in both events. He set three DVL records in May’s league finals (110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 4×400-meter relay). The Blackhawk also broke a 33-year-old record in the 300 hurdles at the famed Mt. SAC Relays, running 36.92, his best time in the event until he ran 36.61 in the state prelims.

La Quinta coach Brian Ansley: “During the normal part of the season, when you’re hitting marks that are nationally ranked, it’s just a gauge. It’s not the end, but when you can maintain that top-end spot at the end of the season against the nation, that’s when you really have something special, and that’s where we were getting towardthe end of the year in the 300 in particular. It was pretty fun to watch him drop like that.”

Favorite memory from the season: The Arcadia meet because it’s one of the biggest track meets for high school, and I had personal bests in both of my races (the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles) and won the 110s invitational heat race.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: I’m really looking forward to my birthday and relaxing. I honestly just want to hang out by the beach, go swimming with some friends, and work out.

What are your college plans?: Going to Long Beach State to run track.

Favorite athlete: Odell Beckham Jr.

Favorite sport to watch other than track: Soccer

Favorite sport to play other than track: Football

Do you have any pre-meet routines or superstitions?: I listen to the song “Work” by Rihanna as my first song while running my warmup laps to get me physically ready and energetic and ready to race. I also jump three times right before I get into my blocks for the 110’s to knock off the jitter bugs and two times before the 300’s.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: The beach because I can go to calm down and relax there, and I can play football at the beach and also volleyball.

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: I just like going to my friend David Landeros’ house in La Quinta Palms and just hang out with him. We just always hang out, listen to music, go swimming, invite girls over and just hang out.

La Quinta’s Koty Burton on the verge of two state titles

Alana Wilson

The La Quinta sophom*ore finished this spring with personal bests of 12.14 in the 100 meters and 25.31 in the 200 meters in the Desert Valley League Finals, both races which she won, defending the two titles she won as a freshman. Wilson also was part of the DVL title-winning 4×400-meter relay team that just narrowly missed breaking a DVL record with a time of 4:05.18. Her 4×100-meter relay team broke the previous DVL record but finished second to Palm Desert. At the CIF SS prelims, Wilson finished 17th in the 100 in Division 1, 14th in the 200, 21st in the 4×400 and 31st in the 4×100.

La Quinta coach Brian Ansley: “Alana is a workhorse, and she really puts in the time and effort in practice. She’s not afraid of the 400 and any sprint coach reading a bio on her saying that she’s not afraid of the 400, that puts a smile on their face ‘cause she’s willing to put in the work. That’s really carried over to her success in the 100 and the 200.”

Favorite memory from the season: The 100-meter DVL finals, the crowd was so loud, but I could even hear my dad’s voice. My heart was racing.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: Just training on the track with my sister.

What are your college plans?: I want to run in college, and I think maybe out of state. I’d like to major in kinesiology.

Favorite athlete: Florence Griffith Joyner (USA world-record sprinter known as “Flo-Jo”)

Favorite sport to watch other than track: Softball

Favorite sport to play other than track: Softball

Do you have any pre-meet routines or superstitions?: I just pray for a healthy race with no injuries.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: The beach

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: Going to Riverside to be with my sister.

Alex Kuperstein

The Palm Desert junior finished as the runner-up in the CIF Southern Section individual singles tournament, losing to Corona del Mar’s Bjorn Hoffman, a Cal Berkeley commit 6-2, 6-1 in the finals. To get there, he defeated No. 2 seed Connor Hance of Peninsula in the semifinals 6-2, 2-6, 6-0. Kuperstein started the postseason by beating fellow Aztec Connor Rapp in the DVL singles finals. The junior then helped lead Palm Desert into the quarterfinals of the Division 1 bracket and won two of his three sets in the team’s loss to the eventual champs Peninsula.

Palm Desert coach Brian Jacobs: “His steady progress throughout last summer in tournaments and continued match play kept him on the grind physically. It has led him to a new stage, as he’s fully secured his spot among the top juniors in the southern California boys 18’s with an impressive showing as the No. 2 singles player in all of the CIF Southern Section.”

Favorite memory from the season: In the quarterfinals of state in the deciding doubles match, after we won, we stormed the court from the stands. That was pretty cool.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: Traveling for tournaments, going to Florida for clay court nationals and just seeing the country.

What are your college plans?: As of now, I’d like to go to a four-year college somewhere in California to play Division 1 tennis.

Favorite athlete: Gael Monfils (French professional tennis player)

Favorite sport to watch other than tennis: Soccer

Favorite sport to play other than tennis: Baseball

Do you have any pre-match routines or superstitions?: I always go through dynamic stretching before practice or a match, and I’ve always got plenty of water. I’m pretty organized.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: Disneyland

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: I hardly have any, but when I do have a free weekend, just practicing tennis at home and spending time with friends.

Charlie Reiter

As a key member of the Aztecs team that advanced to CIF-SCGA play, the Palm Desert sophom*ore won the CIF-SCGA individual title with a 5-under 67 on the No. 1 Course at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena. Reiter is just the third desert golfer to win the SCGA title in three decades. A week later, Reiter again showed power and finesse in his game, firing a 1-under 70 at San Gabriel Country Club to finish fourth in the CIF state individual championship. That’s the best finish by a desert male golfer in the state tournament since that event began in 2004.

Palm Desert coach Kurt Ney: “Charlie is a power player with a great long game, and he has learned to manage it, along with his solid short game, to achieve a better outcome on the golf course. I am excited for Charlie and his future, and I look forward to working with him next season. Both Charlie and the team have the potential to get to the State Championship next season and maybe a state title.”

Favorite memory from the season: Winning a Southern Section title.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: Definitely traveling for golf, especially going to Mexico to play in the Junior America’s Cup to play against kids from all over.

What are your college plans?: Go to USC to play golf and study business.

Favorite athlete: Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth

Favorite sport to watch other than golf: College football

Favorite sport to play other than golf: Football or baseball

Do you have any pre-round routines or superstitions?: I listen to Drake, and I also love to float to relax at Desert Serenity.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: Can I say both?

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: On the beach somewhere. I love to go to Del Mar.

Christian Meyer

The Palm Springs sophom*ore defended his DVL title he won as a freshman in the 500-yard freestyle after dropping more than 10 seconds from his previous season’s personal best. Meyer also won a title in the 200 individual medley, beating last year’s champion Sam Turley, in a tight race after finishing second a year ago. The sophom*ore went on to post a state consideration time in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 finals in the 500 free (4:46.92), half a second off the Palm Springs and DVL record, to finish fourth, the best finish for a male from the DVL since 2011. Meyer also took 20th in the prelims of the 200 IM (2:03.28).

Palm Springs coach Jeff Conwell: “What he did in the 500 freestyle is exciting, but his biggest improvements this season came by way of his versatility. Any given DVL meet, he could have swam four or five different events with a chance to win. … This season, he worked hard in some specific areas that really paid off. You could see the self-confidence building throughout the season from it.”

Favorite memory from the season: Placing fourth at CIF finals after shaving more time from my DVL entry time was definitely my highlight.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: Family time. My downtime with family is important, and of course hanging out with friends will be in there, too.

What are your college plans?: I’m still undecided on what I want to major in and where I want to go so I keep my grades high and keep getting my times lower. I’m hoping that those two things will get me on to a great college swim team. Right now I’m open to everything.

Favorite athlete: Michael Phelps, because he’s fallen hard a couple times but came back. I like that.

Favorite sport to watch other than swimming: I don’t watch sports except for the Olympics, and then I watch everything I can.

Favorite sport to play other than swimming: Don’t have one.

Do you have any pre-meet routines or superstitions?: Listening to music that gets me pumped up.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: Definitely the beach.

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: Camping anywhere but the desert. I love Wyoming and Yellowstone.

Desiree Lewis

The Xavier Prep sophom*ore repeated an impressive freshman season feat of four DVL titles by defending all four events in the league finals in the 400-yard freestyle relay, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay. Lewis qualified for two events in the CIF SS Division 3 finals, taking 15th in the 200 medley relay (1:59.19) and 11th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:49.06). She also finished 25th in the prelims in the 100 freestyle (57.28) and 26th in the 200 freestyle (2:04.12).

Xavier Prep coach Pavol Valovic: “Her biggest improvement was her confidence. I think she started believing in herself and in her training. … She was really focused to show how good she really is and how much potential she really has …I think it’s going to be very difficult for people to compete with her next year, and I think she’s going to get to the very top of CIF in our division in her four events.”

Favorite memory from the season: At DVL prelims, our relay team was behind the blocks to swim the 200 medley, and there was a delay with the officials. When we looked across the pool, you could see our whole team lined up ready to cheer us on.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?: Going to Hawaii in August.

What are your college plans?: I would like to go to Stanford and major in psychology, and I’d like to swim.

Favorite athlete: Don’t have one

Favorite sport to watch other than swimming: Volleyball

Favorite sport to play other than swimming: Volleyball

Do you have any pre-meet routines or superstitions?: Before every race, when I get on the blocks, I touch each side with both hands, or I feel unbalanced or like I’ll false-start.

Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?: The beach because of less people and no lines.

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?: Going to Los Angeles to visit my family and just relax and hang out with them.

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