Yosemite High 2009 Athletes of the Year

Mike Hackworth

(Updated: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 2:23 PM)

Class of 2010 produces a pair of stunning student athletes

As has become the custom at this time of the new year, the Sierra Star has selected a pair of student athletes who stood above their varsity peers as the Student Athletes of the Year for 2009.

In 2009, there were 21 varsity sports in competition at Yosemite High School, with many of the athletes participating in more than one sport.

The selection process is based upon sports which took place from January to December.

The 2008-09 winter sports are included in the selection since they completed their competition after January.

General criteria for selection includes a grade point average above 3.0, the athlete's statistics or records for their sports and the athlete's contribution to their sport(s).

Other information considered, but not required, was the athlete's academic awards, such as recognition by the North Sequoia League for academic achievement.

After evaluating more than 175 varsity athletes in all four classes, the field was narrowed down to 12, six boys and six girls in 14 of the 21 varsity sports teams in 2009.

Although only two are chosen, all student athletes have contributed to the success of the Yosemite High School athletic programs.

The Sierra Star Female and Male Student Athletes for 2009 are senior Kirsten Keyser and senior Detri Dunn.

Female Athlete of the Year

Kirsten Keyser, class of 2009

Keyser first came to the attention of the Sierra Star sports staff in the Fall of 2006, when she became the first Student Athlete of the Week for the Fall season as a member of the varsity girls golf team. Keyser scored a nine-hole 47, which gave her the tournament title in a North Sequoia League.

Keyser, a member of the Junior Golf Association of Northern California has been playing competitive golf since she was eight.

"I got my first set of golf clubs from my dad when I was 5 years old and my first lesson when I was 6, when we lived in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho," Kirsten said. "My sister and I stated playing competitively in junior tournaments when I was 9 and Jordan was 6."

As a sophomore, Keyser joined the Yosemite High swim team and made an instant impact.

According to varsity swim coach Brandon Brokaw, "Kirsten is probably our fastest sprinter," Brokaw said. "This is her first year with the team and with the exception of Kari, (Lauterbach) no one is faster."

During the summer of 2009, Keyser was selected by The First Tee of Fresno, to attend the inaugural First Tee Player Advanced Academy in June at the University of Richmond in Virginia.

At the Charlie Culver Junior Masters tournament in July, held at the Salinas Golf Country Club, Keyser finished second, two-strokes behind the winner.

When school is in session, her play kicks up to seven days a week -- practicing five days a week with her Yosemite High teammates under the guidance of coach Rusty Oetinger, and then weekend tournaments sanctioned by the Northern California Golf Association.

Keyser is looking forward to playing golf in college and will play next year on a scholarship at Cal Baptist University in Riverside.

She plans to major in business and is interested in becoming an orthodontist.

Keyser shot a 77 at the CIF Individual Central Section Tournament in November to advance to the Southern Section State Qualifying Tournament in Murrieta.

"Kirsten played better at the end of the season when it really counted," Oetinger said. "She's very consistent, doesn't make a lot of mistakes and is very straight off the tee. Her work ethic is amazing. She's one of the most coachable kids I've ever met."

Keyser has helped the girls' team win three consecutive North Sequoia League championships and was named to the 2009 Fresno Bee's first team girls' golf all-star team.

Male Athlete of the Year

Detri Duinn, class of 2009

This versatile 6-foot, 180-pound senior first gained notice in 2005 when he scored a pair of touchdowns for the Yosemite Youth seniors football team, one on a 65-yard run from scrimmage. Since then he has become one of the top athletes at Yosemite High School, culminating in his selection as the 2009 Male Student Athlete of the year.

A three-sport athlete, Dunn has excelled in basketball and football, but has found his niche in track and field.

He established new school records in the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles, then set about besting them.

He placed first at prestigious track and field venues, such as the the Exeter Monarch Invitational Track and Field, where he finished first in both hurdle events. He then followed with wins at the Mountain Invitational meet where he set new school, stadium and meet records in both the 110 High Hurdles and 300 High Hurdles.

At the Sanger Metric Classic he helped the Yosemite boys team to a first place tie for small schools

"Detri has done fine this year," head track coach Walker Vaughn said. "He just works harder than anyone else and couple that with some natural talent and he is pretty good.

"He can and will, hopefully, become a lot better."

At at the Central Section Masters Track and Field Championships,the Yosemite senior was able to pull out a second place finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 39.62.

"I didn't feel real strong when the race started, but with two hurdles to go I looked to the outside and saw that I could beat those guys," Dunn said.

The finish automatically qualified Dunn for the the state track championships.

It was back to football in the fall, and although the Badgers season was not a success, Dunn was named to the North Sequoia League first team as a defensive back and a second team wide receiver.

Dunn was accepted to Azuza Pacific University on a track and field scholarship.