Panel Picks Duffy Male Athlete of 2007; CHS Girls Polo, McIntyre, Ur, Carmona Also Named; 'Peoples Choice' Voting Opens

And the winner is....... DANNY DUFFY!!!!!

KATHRYN NELSON, SARAH UR, coach COREY McINTYRE and ASHLEY SMITH display athlete, team and coach of the year certificates which Cabrillo High girls water polo nearly swept in voting by Lompoc Locker Room's Select Panel.

DANNY DUFFY swept easily to victory in Lompoc Locker Room’s Lompoc Male Athlete of the Year poll it was announced this evening.
He was joined on Lompoc Locker Room, the TV Show by Cabrillo High girls water polo coach COREY McINTYRE, named 2007 Coach of the Year, and by ASHLEY SMITH, KATHRYN NELSON and SARAH UR, tri-captains of the CIF champion Cabrillo girls water polo team, which received Team of the Year honors.

Ur also received recognition as female Athlete of the Year though two awards were made in that category when Ur and Lompoc High soccer star JANI CARMONA finished in a tie for the top spot. Carmona, still at college in Hawaii, was not present but she was contacted by phone.

Among 13 writers, sportscasters, and sports officials Duffy, the fireballing lefthander who whiffed 127 batters for Cabrillo High, signed a lucrative third-round contract with the Kansas City Royals, and then encored with a top-of-the-charts performance in the Arizona Rookie League, far outpolled his competitors.

Duffy totaled 40 points with seven first place votes while his closest competitor, El Camino College quarterback BOO JACKSON, finished with 25 and three first place votes.

They were followed by Cabrillo swim star WES HAIN with 19 points, track star DUANE SOLOMON with 16, and a three-way tie for fifth between Cal distance runner MICHAEL COE, major league baseball outfielder RYAN CHURCH (one first place vote) and 82-year old world swim champion FRANK PIEMME (two first place votes) all with 11 points.

“This is crazy. There are some great people on that list,” Duffy said. “What an honor.” Seventeen male athletes had been nominated.

-0-

Ur, Carmona Tie

The female AOY race was the mirror opposite of the guys’ poll—four nominees finished within seven points. Seven of ten nominees received at least one first-place vote.

Ur and Carmona finished deadlocked at 29 points with two first place points apiece. Ur’s teammate KATHRYN NELSON tied with Cal Poly golfer JULIA HEATH at 22, Nelson also attracting two first-place votes. The top five were rounded out by Cabrillo golfer KELLIE GEORGE who drew 18 votes and had the largest number of first place votes with three.
KARISSA ROBERTSON, the Cabrillo and Hawaii-Hilo soccer star, Hancock cross country runner ARIANA FABING, and Hancock tennis placer ELYSHA McLAIN, also received first-place votes.

-0-

Cabrillo Girls Polo Easy Winner

The Cabrillo girls water polo team, and its coach, McIntyre, dominated voting in team and coach categories. The team doubled the vote total of the Lompoc High baseball, Los Padres League champion for the second year, and for youth football’s Lompoc Scorpions, champions of the Central Coast. The only other team to draw a vote was LHS’ girls soccer team led by Carmona. Eleven teams had been nominated.

-0-

McIntyre Doubles the Total of Nearest Competitor

McIntyre’s closest competitor was not another prep coach but boxing trainer ROY BACA who drew three votes to McIntyre’s six. Lompoc High baseball mentor JIM ALLEN drew two votes and PETER ANDERSON, Cabrillo boys cross country, and ADDIE FRANCIS, leader of league champion LHS girls soccer, one each.

-0-

People's Choice Awards; West Late Entry

Voting for four Lompoc Locker Room “People’s Choice Awards” is now open. It will run through Sunday night.

In the nick of time basketball guard GEOFF WEST has been nominated in the Athlete of the Year category. West led the University of Mary Marauders in their upset win Sunday over No. 8-ranked St. Cloud State. West is the No. 2 scorer for U-M and the No. 2 in steals. He has been described by his coach in comments to the Bismarck, North Dakota newspaper as the team leader.