A two-time qualifier for the California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field Championships, multi-sport standout Starla Skiles was an easy pick for Ripon High’s annual Female Athlete of the Year honors.
Marcus Madoski is Male Athlete of the Year, and he joined Skiles at the 105th state meet. The 6-foot-4 Madoski also starred on the school’s basketball team, earning three All-Trans Valley League team selections in his career.
Both plan on continuing their promising track careers in college. Skiles is on her way to Cal State Fullerton, while Madoski heads to Modesto Junior College.
Skiles excelled in three sports during her senior year, joining Ripon’s fledgling flag football program in the fall. She made school history as one of the Indians’ first two All-TVL selections in the sport. Ripon went 1-9 in the TVL and 3-15 overall but had to compete against programs that were in their second year.
A speedy outside back for the talented girls soccer team (9-1 TVL, 18-5-1 overall), Skiles again garnered all-league recognition after helping Ripon capture a sixth consecutive league title and advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals. She was a key contributor on a back line that surrendered only eight goals in 12 TVL matches.
Skiles managed to have enough in the tank for her impressive spring season, which included improvements to her own school records in the hurdle events and a repeat appearance at the state meet.
She earned a third consecutive TVL title in the 300-meter hurdles while setting a personal-record time of 43.69 seconds. Skiles also won the 100 hurdles, the 100-meter dash and was part of the winning 4x400 relay for a fourth gold medal at the league meet.
The following week, Skiles led Ripon to its third SJS Division V championship in four years. She four-peated as the 300 hurdles Division V champion, three-peated in the 100 hurdles and even took second in the 100 — an event she ran for just the fourth time. In addition, Skiles helped the first-place mile relay break the 4-minute mark for the first time at 3 minutes, 59.59 seconds.
Skiles then went shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of the SJS. She won the 300 hurdles SJS Masters finals and broke her own school record in the 100 hurdles with a second-place time of 14.08.
Her decorated prep career ended in Clovis on May 30-31, as she got to compete in both hurdle events at the state meet. She qualified for the 100 hurdles final, placing ninth.
Skiles and Madoski were both presented their Athlete of the Year plaques at the SJS Division V meet in Riverbank, since they missed the RHS senior awards assembly that night.
Madoski was among the most productive boys basketball players in the region. He ranked fourth in the SJS with 23.7 points per game, made the fourth-most field goals (280), sixth-most free throws (130) and recorded the second most double-doubles (13). He also averaged 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks, while leading the Indians (9-3, 18-12) to second place in the TVL and the SJS Division IV quarterfinals.
In track, Madoski soared to a record season despite battling through a balky knee. He eclipsed his previous high jump record (6 feet, 6 ½ inches) three times, hitting 6-08 at the TVL Relays in March and then 6-09 for a second-place finish in the prestigious Arcadia Invitational a month later.
Madoski went on to win TVL titles in the 400, triple jump and high jump. He set a personal 400-meter record while winning the SJS Division V title in 49.74 seconds. He also won the high jump, took third in the triple jump and was part of the winning 4x400 relay, as the Indians joined the girls in celebrating a team championship.
Madoski took third in the SJS Masters high jump to qualify for the state meet, where he finished 13th in the preliminaries. He topped out at 6-06 in the final two meets.
Madoski plans on competing as a decathlete at MJC, which boasts one of the top track and field programs in the state.
