Tracy Press

West High two-sport athlete Anthony Salsedo was named one of the best — and most well-rounded — in the section.

Anthony Salsedo hadn’t heard of the Dale Lacky Award until his coaches urged him to apply for it. It could be that in between baseball games and workouts, the West High senior was more focused on how he was doing in his classes.

But on Friday, his application — and his hard work — will pay off when he becomes the second student from West to earn the award. Salsedo will accept a $600 scholarship from the Sac-Joaquin Section of the California Interscholastic Federation for his accomplishments as a scholar and an athlete.

“When I looked into it, I realized what an honor it is,” he said. “You’re not just representing your school. You’re representing the league.”

The awards will be presented Friday morning at Elkhorn Country Club in Stockton.

Each league picks a boy and a girl for the award. Salsedo will represent the Tri-City Athletic League, which includes schools from Tracy, Stockton and Lodi. Also representing the TCAL is Anne Heberle, a swimmer and water polo player from Tokay High.

Salsedo plays center field for the Wolf Pack baseball team and wide receiver and safety on the West football team.

In class, he carries a 4.2 grade-point average, including high marks for Advanced Placement classes. This semester, he’s taking AP classes in physics, calculus and government. His college goals include studying structural engineering, but he hasn’t decided which college he will attend.

He said University of Southern California and Arizona State University have athletic and academic programs he likes, and Occidental University in Los Angeles has asked if he wants to play football and baseball there.

West athletic director Steve Thornton said Salsedo was the school’s only nominee this year, and Salsedo’s coaches and counselor urged him to apply for the award.

“The Lacky criteria is pretty stringent, so there are not a lot of kids who meet those requirements,” Thornton said. “Anthony’s an outstanding student and a two-sport guy, so I felt confident he would be a good candidate for our league.”

The Dale Lacky Award is named for the first CIF president to come from the Sac-Joaquin Section. Lacky led the section between 1966 and 1978 and served as CIF president from 1978 to 1980. The award was established in 1993 and now includes 10 $1,000 scholarships and 38 $600 awards.

Jennifer Emerson, who played volleyball and basketball at West High, won a $500 award in 2003, and Ali Berrian, a swimmer and water polo player from Tracy High, won a $600 award last year.

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written by favorite , April 18, 2008

woohooo congrats favorite Im proud of you! You are truly a good all around teen and deserve this award for all your hard work. Keep on making us proud!!