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26 WHARF TO WHARF SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2019 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL afterwards and then, two days later at the De Anza/ Cupertino Invitational I broke it again. I re- member stepping away from all the families and calling both my parents almost in tears...Fast for- ward to league meet; I got my PR of 5:10. I'm not typically a crier, but I cried like no other. Due to his jobs, this was one of the few occasions that my dad was able to come to my race. So I hugged my dad, knowing I proved that my dedication paid off. I'm glad I was able to share such a big ac- complishment with my parents. Although I didn't get first place, I'm still so proud of destroy- ing my freshman year PR that I would lie awake at night thinking I would never break. I couldn't have done it without Coach Jaime and Omar." Melissa says she is "beyond grateful" to receive this scholar- ship because it will allow her to "…more easily balance school and sports. I come from a work- ing family, my dad works two jobs and my mom holds another. My dad leaves to work around 8 a.m. and does not return until past midnight…and even with my mom working another full time job, there's no way we could have afforded my college expenses alone. This scholarship will allow me to keep on breaking more PRs and shining light on my last name. Furthermore, the scholar- ship will show my family what we can all do. I come from a family with absolutely no runners. No one has attended a four-year uni- versity right after high school, but I have officially destroyed these barriers and hope to continue to destroy many more." Chris Anderson is a Cross Country and Track athlete. He is attending the University of Portland in the fall and will major in Marketing with a minor in Entrepreneurship. "I'll be running for the Men's Cross Country and Track teams," says Anderson. "For Track, I am a distance runner; in high school I ran the 1600m and the 3200m. At UP, I'll be compet- ing in the 3k Steeplechase and the 5k." Academic and athletic honors that he worked hard to achieve, that enabled him to be awarded this scholarship, are the 2019 CIF Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for CCS, National Honor Society (NHS) Member all four years and NHS President senior year, three-time SCCAL League Champion in XC, three-time State Qualifier in XC, three-time SCCAL 1600m Champion, two-time 3200 SCCAL League Champion, 2nd at CCS and State qualifier for 3200m 2019 Track season. Anderson's most memorable athletic experience in high school was during track season of his senior year. "At the CCS Trials, I qualified for CCS Finals in the 3200m. This was going to be my last chance to qualify for State in Track during my high school running career. I had been able to qualify in XC (Division 4), but not in Track because we compete against all divisions, making it harder to qualify. The week of CCS Finals, I got the flu and a horrible cold, making it hard to breathe. I was worried that my chances of going to State were over. During the CCS Finals 3200 race, I was moving all over the place from 1st to almost dead last. Six laps in, I heard someone yell 'These are your last two laps ever, make it count.' I don't know who said it, but that got to me. With 200 meters left, I kicked and was able to take 2nd, securing my spot at the State Finals. I was ranked 21st out of 36 at State and finished 15th. I was proud of overcoming the obstacles that got in my way and doing the work that it took to get there. It was a great way to go out." It means a lot for Anderson to receive the Otis Chandler Schol- arship, he says, because it is "…a prestigious award that honors Otis Chandler, who was a world- class Track athlete. The money I'm receiving will help out a lot and allow me to continue working toward new goals while running at the University of Portland." Though he can't be at Wharf to Wharf in 2019 due to a family vacation, he hopes to return next summer. "I've helped at the last 7 WTW races and plan to help when I'm home during summer break over the next few years," says Anderson. "Every year, the SLV High XC and Track teams have helped at WTW. The funds raised help our team get new equipment, uniforms, and travel to meets. It's awesome to see how many people come out to participate and support the race, which helps high school teams and supports collegiate athletes as we move on." 'To promote running as a means to health and fitness' is the mission of the Wharf to Wharf. "An important part of this is supporting the younger mem- bers of our community through our scholarships and also through our support of programs like the Santa Cruz Track Club youth program," says McConnell. Clearly, these four talented individuals are worthy of the scholarships, and we wish them well in their college careers! Melissa Sosa, Chandler Scholarship winner (Photo contributed) San Lorenzo Valley High's Chris An- derson (#4) came in 3rd in his heat of 3200 meter race at the Central Coast Championships in Gilroy High. (Lucjan Szewczyk – Santa Cruz Sentinel) FROM PG 18

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