Tracy Press

Barnes and Salsedo are named West athletes of the year.

West High School named Solveig Barnes and Anthony Salsedo as its athletes of the year as the school handed out 2007-08 awards to its top athletes Wednesday night.

Solveig Barnes, West High's female athlete of the year, played on the girls varsity soccer team for four years and was the first girl to play for the varsity football team, where she served as a placekicker. Press file photo.

She said she had wanted to play football since eighth grade and missed out her freshman year at West only because she had an opportunity to play soccer in Europe that year. She joined the junior varsity team as a sophomore at the urging of one of her friends on the team and played both her junior and senior years as one of the varsity team’s kickers.

During the 2007 season, she scored the point after in 22 of 23 attempts and scored two field goals for the Wolf Pack. She was also named All-League second-team kicker for the Tri-City Athletic League.

For the past 13 years, soccer has been Barnes’ primary sport, and she usually plays in the striker position or at midfield for West.

“Since her first year, she’s been the top scorer on our team” West soccer coach Abel Dorado said. “She brings the team’s level up when she’s on the field.”

“It’s definitely a part of my life,” Barnes said, adding that she plans to continue playing when she attends the Academy of Arts in San Francisco next year.

She said she was surprised to get the award as the top female athlete at the school, as there are others at the school who are deserving of the award. But she also has a competitive nature and will try to single out those teammates she can compete with to be the best.

“I think what motivates me the most is my parents,” she said. “I like to hear them say they’re proud of me.”

Anthony Salsedo, West's male athlete of the year, was a four-year football and baseball standout. Press file photo.

It’s a combination he plans to stay with when he attends Occidental College in Southern California next year.

“They want me to play football and baseball for them, so I’ll play both,” he said.

Salsedo figures he was about 3 years old when he became a baseball fan and began to picture himself as a pro ballplayer. At the age of 8, he got into football and became a regular fan at West High’s games.

“He just did everything you needed him to do,” football coach Steve Lopez said. “He’s very unselfish and team-oriented.”

Salsedo said his approach is to see every game as a new opportunity.

“You’ve got to take it one game at a time,” he said. “I just like going out there and playing and winning, helping my team out.”

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