Cydney Leath of LSI: 2009 San Jose Mecury's Horizontal jumper of the year

Cardinal standout and LSI member Cydney Leath considered herself to be a sprinter entering high school and still runs on relay teams and in sprints. But Coach Steve Nelson urged her to try the jumps, and the results were immediate. Leath won the CCS triple-jump title with the 10th-best mark in section history (39-41/4) and earned all-state status.

In the state meet, Leath conquered a case of the jitters in the preliminaries with a personal best of 39-6 1/4 to reach the finals, where she finished ninth.

The 5-foot-3 1/2 cardinal holds the state lead in the Freshman Girls triple jump, both wind-legal and all conditions. Now Cydney is looking to finish off her season with more success and will compete in the 2009 USATF Youth Nationals in Detroit Michigan.