Golden anniversary OAA dinner to honor Cafaro MacKenzie and Ard

They graduated from Modesto High decades apart, and their athletic purity is hard to miss.

Erin Cafaro MacKenzie gravitated to rowing, where she and her women’s eight teammates won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. Gary Ard, one of Modesto Junior College’s proudest sons, captured NCAA titles in the long jump and mile relay for Kansas University in 1967.

Their divergent paths meet at one important intersection – their passion for competition. As MacKenzie says, “I continue to train for life.”

MacKenzie and Ard will be inducted to the Hall of Fame, one of many highlights Wednesday night at the 50th Outstanding Athlete Awards Dinner at the Sportsmen of Stanislaus Club. The 2016 Stanislaus County high school and college/open athletes of the year plus other honorees will be recognized on the OAA’s final night at the SOS, which closes this summer.

Ard, 72, occupies a special place in local sports archives. He holds the oldest MJC track and field record, a leap of 25 feet, 7 1/4 inches to win his second state community college title. The year? 1965.

“I was last in qualifying and sixth going into that last jump,” Ard remembered. “I hit one.”

Ard starred in both football and track at MJC, and after his career at Kansas and two years in the Army, returned to MJC as coach for 36 years. He even won the Modesto City golf title in 1990.

Yet his most gratifying achievement is the raising of his son Aaron, a teacher and coach at Enochs High, and daughter Karen, who soon will receive her Master’s degree.

“The things that you do or accomplish do not compare with your kids,” he said. “They never gave us any problems.”

MacKenzie, 33, discovered rowing as a student at Cal. So began over a decade of stunning success – a two-time NCAA champion, six world titles and, of course, the races to Olympic glory in Beijing in 2008 and four years later in London.

“I look at it as a stepping stone and use those lessons to make myself better every day,” MacKenzie said. “I’ve been able to watch the next generation walk through. It’s a hard process. Winning is addictive.”

Today, she is the coach of Power Speed Endurance, a refined version of endurance training. Her preparation is her legacy. She broke the stereotype of a sport that caters only to big and tall athletes.

“Nothing is easy. If it is easy, you need to find something harder,” MacKenzie said.

Also to be inducted to the Hall of Fame is Ron Agostini, sports writer and columnist of The Modesto Bee and OAA selection committee member for nearly 40 years.

The guest speaker is Rick Barry, the former Golden State Warriors star who was voted one of the top 50 NBA players of all time.

The Darell Phillips Coaches Award, named for the late Bee sports editor, will be given to local coaching giants: Modesto’s Jerry Streeter, whose athletic, coaching and officiating accomplishments span over half a century; and Oakdale’s Jack Walker, the prolific coach who built a powerhouse track program for the Mustangs.

It promises to be a big night for Oakdale. The 14-2 football team which captured the state 3-A title last fall will be honored as the Team of the Year.

The Tom Mellis Scholarship, named for one of the SOS founders, goes to Gregori senior Daniel Turn. He will receive a $2,500 grant.

The Jay Pattee Award for public service to the sports community will be announced that night.

The high school girls finalists:

Nicole Bates (softball) – Bates, a starting freshman infielder for 9th-ranked Washington, led Ceres to its first section title since 1995. She batted .571 with 60 hits, 33 RBIs and five home runs and was named the Stanislaus District Player of the Year.

Emily Bennett (water polo) – Bennett, a senior at Oakdale, scored 88 goals and led the Mustangs to the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I finals. The four-year varsity starter was named The Bee’s MVP, the section MVP and was an All-American for the third year. Oakdale’s No. 2 career scorer (308), who played for three straight section champions, has signed at San Diego State.

Hannah Chappell (track) – Chappell, a freshman at Alabama, annexed her fourth straight Section Masters title and placed third at the state meet with a throw of 149 feet, 3 inches. The Oakdale High graduate placed seventh, second, fifth and third at state. She was selected the Girls Track Athlete of the Year for the fourth time.

Julia Handy (volleyball) – Handy, a junior, totaled 1,104 assists, seventh in the state, as she guided Turlock to the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I finals. She also compiled 132 digs, 122 kills and 65 blocks. The Bee’s Volleyball Player of the Year will continue her career at Arizona.

Tiana Jackson (wrestling) – Jackson, as a Central Catholic junior, went 34-4 and won the state 111-pound title with a dramatic 7-6 three-overtime win over top-seeded Lauren Mason of Woodcreek. Jackson, the Co-Wrestler of the Year, eliminated four section champions en route to the title and avenged an earlier loss to Mason.

The high school boys finalists:

Chris Ebster (golf) – Ebster, a senior at Gregori, placed third at Section Masters (71 at The Reserve), tied for second at NorCals (69 at Corral de Tierra in Salinas) and qualified for state for the third time. The Modesto Metro Conference’s top player and The Bee’s POY has committed to UNLV.

Santiago Cantu (baseball) – Cantu, a senior shortstop-pitcher at Patterson, batted. 581 and was 9-0 on the mound – leading the county in both categories – as the Tigers reached the D-IV semifinals. He struck out 68 in 59 innings and his ERA was 0.59. At the plate, he went 9-for-13 in the playoffs. Cantu is headed for San Jose State.

Jared Rice (football-basketball) – Rice, a senior at Central Catholic, rushed for 1,449 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Raiders. He also averaged 16.2 points for the D-IV champion basketball team. The Cal Poly-bound Rice was named to the all-district team in two sports.

Will Semone (football) – Semone, a senior for Oakdale (14-2), rushed for a district-record 2,851 yards to lead the Mustangs to their first CIF state title. He saved 1,684 yards for Oakdale’s six wins in the playoffs. He was named The Bee’s Player of the Year, MaxPrep’s Offensive POY for the section and a berth on the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Medium Schools Team.

Danny Velasquez (football) – Velasquez, a Turlock senior, showed his versatility by passing for 1,085 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushing for 1,101 yards and 13 TDs. He anchored the Bulldogs’ 9-3 season and first Central California Conference title since 2003. He was named the CCC’s MVP for the second straight year.

The college/open women’s finalists:

Jamilecxth Becerra (soccer) – Becerra, a graduate of Downey, starred in her only season for MJC. She scored 27 goals (second all-time at MJC and fifth in the state) and was named to the first-team D-III All-American and All-Big 8 teams. She was one of only four freshmen on the 12-member All-American team. She will soon play at San Jose State.

Hanna Holland (softball) – Holland, a junior centerfielder at Humboldt State and an Oakdale graduate, stole a school-record 70 bases last season and recorded team-highs in average (.413) and hits (83). She was the CCAA Player of the Year, West Region MVP and was a National Player of the Year finalist. The Jacks were 54-8-1 and lost to North Alabama in the NCAA Division II Championship Series.

Channing Wilson (track) – Wilson, a Turlock graduate, was named the Cal State Stanislaus Female Athlete of the Year after she placed fourth in the hammer throw (192-0) and fifth in the javelin (169-8), the latter a school record, at the NCAA D-II Championships. The two-time All-American later placed 19th in the javelin at the USA Olympic Trials.

The college/open men’s finalists:

Brett Cumberland (baseball) – Cumberland, a catcher at Cal last spring and a Turlock graduate, led the Pac 12 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and a .678 slugging percentage. He was a third-team All-American by Baseball America and was a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes and Johnny Bench awards.

Ja’Quan Gardner (football) – Gardner, a junior at Humboldt State and a graduate of Central Valley, rushed for 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns and led the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference in rushing for the second straight year. He broke his own school record by totaling 313 yards against Western State Colorado.

Jay Green (football) – Green, a freshman at MJC and a Beyer graduate, led the state in rushing touchdowns (20) and yards per game (116.5) for the 8-3 Pirates who won the Valley Conference title and reached the NorCal semifinals. He was the league’s Offense Player for the Year after he rushed for 1,218 yards and was a Community College All-American and an All-State selection. Green will transfer to Southern Utah.

This story was originally published April 22, 2017 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Golden anniversary OAA dinner to honor Cafaro MacKenzie and Ard."