“It’s really something to hang our hats on,” said Carol Driffil, the Glendale co-athletic director and former girls’ water polo coach. “One of the things we hope to do is continue to build an athletic program. Hopefully this is the beginning.
“Even at Glendale, it can be done.”
Starting with an upset of a Burbank squad that had been undefeated in the Pacific League regular season in the league tournament, Glendale would upset Louisville, 12-6, La Salle, 12-8, and Rio Mesa, 10-9, before its long trip north to face Arroyo Grande.
All-CIF standouts Lily Broussard, Casey Sripramong, Vanuhi Ovasapyan, Sara Wolff and Shaggy Abolian led the way on a Cinderella run that proved to be Glendale High sports’ most successful season in decades.
2Claire Collison goes to state — twice: Unanimously, Crescenta Valley High junior Claire Collison was voted the 2006-07 News-Press Girls’ Athlete of the Year for her triumphs in both cross-country and track and field.
As Collison became a senior in the fall of ‘07, she certainly didn’t lose a step, though.
Her year of state success began in June at the CIF State Track and Field Meet, when she took part in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races — a feat in itself just to qualify for two races.
She finished in the top-10 in both taking seventh in the 1,600 and 10th in the 3,200.
“[Now] she sees herself as being a part of that elite group,” said Falcons Coach Mark Evans of Collison, who made her first trip to the state track meet.
Fast forwarding to the fall, Collison made her third and final trip to the CIF-State Cross-Country Meet.
Collison’s time of 17 minutes, 33 seconds was good enough for second place in the Division I race.
