Sun Athletes of the Week

Thursday, April 6, 2000 | 7:49 a.m.

Male Athlete of the Week: RYAN HARRIS

School: Basic

Class: Senior

Sport: Baseball

Family: Father John; mother Susan; brothers Matt, Marc.

Last week: Harris went 6-for-9 with four RBIs, five runs scored and a double to lead the Wolves to victories over Sunrise Region powers Las Vegas, Eldorado and Green Valley. "Those were all quality teams, and he came up with some pretty clutch RBIs," Basic coach Mike Kazek said. In the Wolves' 8-7 win over the Gators in Friday's league opener, Harris went 2-for-3 and contributed a run-scoring double in the team's seven-run fifth inning. "Winning the first game in league play against a good team like Green Valley gives us a lot of confidence," Harris said. "We know that if we play how we can, we can beat anybody."

This season: With a .564 average (22-for-39), Harris leads his club in batting from his No. 3 spot in the order. The Wolves' starting third baseman has also knocked in 15 runs and scored 15 runs, with four doubles and three triples thus far. "He was our number nine hitter last year and hit about .350," Kazek said. "This year, he's really come into his own. He's led us." At 14-1, the Wolves currently have the area's top overall record, and lead both Green Valley and Silverado in the Southeast Division standings. "I think we've always been overlooked," Harris said. "Now, with a 14-1 record, it proves to everybody you can't overlook us anymore."

Female Athlete of the Week: MICHELE MUSCATO

School: Green Valley

Class: Senior

Sport: Track & Field

Family: Father Mike; mother Bonnie; brother Mikey; sister Marie.

Last week: Muscato broke Southern Nevada's all-time girls pole vaulting record, clearing 11 feet at a quad meet last Tuesday. Before that, Muscato was tied with Boulder City graduate April Jenning at 10-6 for Southern Nevada's top mark ever. "My goal was to hit 11 feet and to keep going higher," Muscato said. "It's always about going up." Muscato's mark is a foot-and-a-half ahead of the area's second-best height this season -- a 9-6 jump by younger sister Marie, a Green Valley freshman.

This season: After going unbeaten in area competition en route to her first 4A Southern Zone title last year, Muscato spent the summer and winter honing her vaulting skills at camps in Flagstaff, Ariz., and Reno. "This year she really got motivated and got after it," Gators vaulting coach Robert Tilley said. "She lifted real hard in the offseason, she's worked on her upper-body and on her speed and she corrected some stuff on her run. She's well on her way to jumping 12 feet." Muscato said her goals for her senior season include clearing that 12-foot barrier, earning a national ranking in Track & Field News and becoming the first-ever state vaulting champion from Southern Nevada.