Greg Hansen's top 10 track and field athletes from Tucson high schools
- Updated
Former Amphitheater state champion Virginia Pedersoli tops the list.
Editor’s note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today’s list: the top 10 track and field athletes from Tucson high schools.
On the night James D. “Doc’’ Van Horne retired from coaching in 1953, Tucson High School honored him at the school’s auditorium.
A story in the next day’s Star reported that “the smiling little man with the specs received an ovation that shook the rafters and could be heard out on the track.’’
That was fitting for the longtime chemistry teacher from small town Manson, Iowa, who coached the Badgers to 13 state track and field championships in 27 years.
“There is no doubt Doc is the dean of coaches in the state,’’ said Tucson principal Andy Tolson. (About 20 years later, TUSD named an elementary school after Van Horne).
Van Horne was in the right place at the right time when the Batiste brothers — Joe, Frank and Fred — became the state’s leading track and field athletes over a 12-year period in which the Badgers won 11 state titles from 1938-49.
Since Van Horne’s retirement, only three boys track and field coaches in Tucson have won multiple state championships: Tucson High’s Don Anderson in 1970 and 1971; Santa Rita’s Bill Bland in 1979 and 1981; and Amphitheater’s Raul Nido in 1985 and 1987.
Here’s our list of the Top 10 track and field athletes from Tucson high schools:
If you stick to the numbers, Pedersoli has no Tucson equal in on-field performance. In 1991, 1992 and 1993, she won state championships at 800 meters, 1600 meters and 3200 meters. (She also won back-to-back state cross country championships). All were accomplished in the 5A classification, the largest in Arizona at the time. In ’93, Pedersoli’s time in the 1,600 meters was No. 5 in the United States. She signed with Arizona but chose to get married and have a baby her freshman season, working part-time as a custodian to help her family’s finances. Pedersoli became a useful member of UA track and cross country teams.
Bates won six state championships in the hurdles as a sophomore and junior, setting state records in both events. He also won the 100 and 200 championships. Bates chose not to compete in track as a senior. He won the 200 meters bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Twice the Arizona Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Batiste won 1941 state championships in the 100, and 200 low hurdles, was second in the long jump and anchored the winning 4x100 relay team as the Badgers won the state title.
There’s little doubt the UA freshman-to-be is the top discus thrower in state history. He won the state title in 2015 and again this year, reaching 218-feet 7-inches, breaking his own state record. He won the state championship by more than 34 feet.
The Dorados won the 2012 state championship when Stepter set a state record in the 300 hurdles, and backed that up by winning the 100 hurdles and the long jump and finishing second in the 200 meters. A year earlier she won three state championships. She was a Pac-12 standout at USC.
The first national-level track and field athlete in Tucson history, Batiste set a national high school record in the 120 hurdles in 1938, and broke the record in 1939, a record that stood until 1957.
In 1975 and 1976, Jackson was Arizona’s top track and field athlete of the year. In ’76, he won state titles in the triple jump, high jump and 120 hurdles and won the decathlon. He also high-jumped 6-11, the second best in Arizona history at the time. In 1981, competing for ASU, he finished third in the NCAA decathlon.
A year ago Summerset broke the state high jumping record by clearing 7 feet 2 ½ inches. He also won the 400 meter finals. Now at Arizona, he finished third in the NCAA high jump last week.
Arizona’s 1964 state athlete of the year, Frederick was a tenth of a second from the national high school record when he won the state championship in the high hurdles at 13.8 seconds. He won the state title in both hurdles events a year earlier as well, and held both state records. He became a multiple All-American at Arizona.
Not only did Johnson set the city pole vault record (15-6) in 1993, he won the state decathlon title a year later with 6,284 points. He became a three-time Olympic pole-vaulter and a UA All-American.
Editor’s note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today’s list: the top 10 track and field athletes from Tucson high schools.
On the night James D. “Doc’’ Van Horne retired from coaching in 1953, Tucson High School honored him at the school’s auditorium.
A story in the next day’s Star reported that “the smiling little man with the specs received an ovation that shook the rafters and could be heard out on the track.’’
That was fitting for the longtime chemistry teacher from small town Manson, Iowa, who coached the Badgers to 13 state track and field championships in 27 years.
“There is no doubt Doc is the dean of coaches in the state,’’ said Tucson principal Andy Tolson. (About 20 years later, TUSD named an elementary school after Van Horne).
Van Horne was in the right place at the right time when the Batiste brothers — Joe, Frank and Fred — became the state’s leading track and field athletes over a 12-year period in which the Badgers won 11 state titles from 1938-49.
Since Van Horne’s retirement, only three boys track and field coaches in Tucson have won multiple state championships: Tucson High’s Don Anderson in 1970 and 1971; Santa Rita’s Bill Bland in 1979 and 1981; and Amphitheater’s Raul Nido in 1985 and 1987.
Here’s our list of the Top 10 track and field athletes from Tucson high schools:
If you stick to the numbers, Pedersoli has no Tucson equal in on-field performance. In 1991, 1992 and 1993, she won state championships at 800 meters, 1600 meters and 3200 meters. (She also won back-to-back state cross country championships). All were accomplished in the 5A classification, the largest in Arizona at the time. In ’93, Pedersoli’s time in the 1,600 meters was No. 5 in the United States. She signed with Arizona but chose to get married and have a baby her freshman season, working part-time as a custodian to help her family’s finances. Pedersoli became a useful member of UA track and cross country teams.
Bates won six state championships in the hurdles as a sophomore and junior, setting state records in both events. He also won the 100 and 200 championships. Bates chose not to compete in track as a senior. He won the 200 meters bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Twice the Arizona Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Batiste won 1941 state championships in the 100, and 200 low hurdles, was second in the long jump and anchored the winning 4x100 relay team as the Badgers won the state title.
There’s little doubt the UA freshman-to-be is the top discus thrower in state history. He won the state title in 2015 and again this year, reaching 218-feet 7-inches, breaking his own state record. He won the state championship by more than 34 feet.
The Dorados won the 2012 state championship when Stepter set a state record in the 300 hurdles, and backed that up by winning the 100 hurdles and the long jump and finishing second in the 200 meters. A year earlier she won three state championships. She was a Pac-12 standout at USC.
The first national-level track and field athlete in Tucson history, Batiste set a national high school record in the 120 hurdles in 1938, and broke the record in 1939, a record that stood until 1957.
In 1975 and 1976, Jackson was Arizona’s top track and field athlete of the year. In ’76, he won state titles in the triple jump, high jump and 120 hurdles and won the decathlon. He also high-jumped 6-11, the second best in Arizona history at the time. In 1981, competing for ASU, he finished third in the NCAA decathlon.
A year ago Summerset broke the state high jumping record by clearing 7 feet 2 ½ inches. He also won the 400 meter finals. Now at Arizona, he finished third in the NCAA high jump last week.
Arizona’s 1964 state athlete of the year, Frederick was a tenth of a second from the national high school record when he won the state championship in the high hurdles at 13.8 seconds. He won the state title in both hurdles events a year earlier as well, and held both state records. He became a multiple All-American at Arizona.
Not only did Johnson set the city pole vault record (15-6) in 1993, he won the state decathlon title a year later with 6,284 points. He became a three-time Olympic pole-vaulter and a UA All-American.
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