Wildfire

Greg Serrano Mentioned in Article

Sports Advisory Council names final 3 Athletes of Month

The Rio Rancho Sports Advisory Council rounded out its "fiscal year" by selecting an Athlete of the Month for March, April and May.

The latest three winners - the SAC did not hold a meeting in April, thus the catching up - will be eligible for Athlete of the Year honors. Last year, then-RRHS senior Chris Williams was named Athlete of the Year, the first for the SAC.

The latest trio of athletes selected Wednesday were:

Rio Rancho High School junior golfer Tim Madigan (March): It would have been hard to start the golf season with a better swing, as Madigan carded rounds of 72, 71 and 70 in earning medalist honors in the Rams' first three tournaments of the year, and the Rams went on to win all five of their tournaments in March.

Rio Rancho High School senior pitcher Brittany Vargas (April) used her arm and her bat to help her team contend for a District 1-5A championship. After being named the MVP of the annual Kristin Griego Memorial Tournament at Eagle Ridge, Vargas went on to lead the Rams to a second-place finish in district as the Rams went 5-4 in 1-5A contests, all played in April. Her best performance came in an 8-2 victory at Cibola, in which she threw a five-hitter and clubbed two home runs.

Rio Rancho High School sophomore Nicole Zarrella (May) showed early she was a force to be reckoned with in the discus, placing first in four of five track and field meets in April before winning the District 1-5A crown with a toss of 115 feet, 10 inches, one week before becoming the only Rams girl to win a state title with a heave of 120-6.

The Athlete of the Year will be announced at the group's annual banquet on June 3, the day of the annual Celebrity Bowlathon.

This year's bowlathon, which is an opportunity for area bowlers to team up with celebrities and sports stars, will be held June 3 at Tenpins & More, starting at 10 a.m.

Among the field of "celebs" that Saturday are former NFL players Vince Warren, a one-time Eldorado High School standout; Steve Holden, Cephus Weatherspoon, Edwin Weatherspoon, Leroy Irvin, Preston Dennard and Sam Scarber, a former University of New Mexico running back who saw time with the San Diego Chargers.

Also in the celebrity field are former Detroit Pistons forward Terry Tyler, former Lobos cager Lewis Lamar, and actor Greg Serrano, along with his wife, model Carmen Serrano. Greg Serrano is one of the stars of the ABC Family Channel's series "Wildfire," which has been filming its first three seasons in Rio Rancho and other locations in Sandoval County.

The previous nine Athletes of the Month winners were:

June 2005 Tim Madigan Golf

July Robby Brockman Motocross

August Mike Olsen Football

September Andrew Hernandez Soccer

October Josh Bueno Cross country

November Irina Schober Volleyball

December Jacob Hopkins Hockey

January 2006 Noah Wolfe Basketball

February Vicente Varela Wrestling

For more information on the Celebrity Bowlathon, call Tenpins & More at 892-7117. For more information on the Athlete of the Year banquet, to be held at Sabana Grande Recreation Center, call the Convention and Visitors Bureau at 891-7258.

posted by Meredy @ 10:04:00 AM