How does an already dominant player get better? She works at it.
That
’s how Live Oak High junior Ronni Gautschi elevated her game a
notch a season after earning MVP honors as a sophomore last year.
“I think this year she was a much more complete player,” LO coach
Bryan Traverso said. “You always hear how she can play offense but
this year she was a great defe
nder, too. We put her on the other team’s best scorer all the
time. She was a better team player this year.” For her dedication,
Gautschi was a near unanimous choice for her second straight TCAL
MVP award.
How does an already dominant player get better? She works at it.
That’s how Live Oak High junior Ronni Gautschi elevated her game a notch a season after earning MVP honors as a sophomore last year.
“I think this year she was a much more complete player,” LO coach Bryan Traverso said. “You always hear how she can play offense but this year she was a great defender, too. We put her on the other team’s best scorer all the time. She was a better team player this year.”
For her dedication, Gautschi was a near unanimous choice for her second straight TCAL MVP award.
Joining her on the All-TCAL first team were senior goalie Danielle Maldonado, junior Breanna Sennert and junior Laura Melroy.
According to Traverso, Maldonado’s selection to the all-league first team was especially sweet considering how far she had come in her four years at LO.
“It’s been great to see her develop from her freshman year when she could barely get her chin out of the water into one of the best goalies in CCS,” he said.
Traverso also praised the play of Sennert, who developed from a great defender into the team’s second leading scorer despite battling injury this season, and Melroy, who became a more aggressive player this season and has the second-best shot on the team.
Earning all-league second team honors was sophomore Laura Shope, a speedy swimmer who Traverso said has “come along really fast” since starting to play the sport just a year ago.
The quintet helped lead the Acorns (22-7 overall) to another league title and into the CCS playoffs.
Despite a disappointing upset loss to league rival Santa Catalina in the first round of the Division I playoffs, LO had a fine season.
