Heideman, Otto selected JCCC athletes of the year

5/8/2008
Story by Tyler Cundith

Pulled from: www.jccc.edu

Christa Heideman

Doug Otto

OVERLAND PARK, KS -- Johnson County Community College sophomore Christa Heideman of the women’s cross country and track teams, and sophomore Doug Otto of the baseball team were announced as the female and male athletes of the year at JCCC’s annual awards dinner. The event was held May 7, at the Ritz Charles in Overland Park, Kan. In addition, each team announced their most valuable player, Cavalier award winner and top academic sophomore. Sophomore Vika Scnose of the women’s tennis team and sophomore Drew Garwood of the baseball team were top academic student-athletes.

Heideman will lead JCCC as the school’s most decorated athlete. She has garnered 13 All-America honors in her two years, the most by any athlete in the JCCC’s 39-year history. She also was named the women’s cross country MVP and women’s track MVP in each of her years at JCCC. Heideman has twice earned All-American in cross country and the half marathon. At indoor track nationals, she has earned a total of six All-America honors, including four her freshman year. Outdoors, Heideman was a three-time All-American in 2007, and enters this year’s championship looking to add her her total. She also owns three school records. She has the best time recorded by a Cavaliers at cross country nationals, setting that mark last fall. She also ran a leg on the record setting indoor distance medley relay her freshman year, and set the outdoor mark in the 1,500-meter run last spring. Heideman also ranks in the top five in the outdoor 5,000-meters and as a member of the 4x800 relay.

Otto, a former walk-on to the baseball team, is having an MVP season as a sophomore Otto is batting .443 (70-for-158) with 18 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 57 runs and 43 RBI. He leads the team or is tied for lead in average, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and runs scored, and ranks second in RBI and stolen bases with 25. Otto also leads the team in slugging percentage at .715 and on base percentage .528. His .443 average ranks tied for 32nd in the NJCAA, and he tied for 28th in the nation in stolen bases. Otto’s 70 hits tie the fourth-best season at JCCC, and his 18 doubles rank third all-time for a season. The sophomore from Jefferson City, Mo. has been extremely solid with his glove, posting an impressive .957 fielding percentage from his shortstop position, which ranks him among the best to play his position in JCCC history. He has just 11 errors in 258 fielding chances. His team will play for the Region VI Championship this weekend in Wichita, Kan., with a berth to the NJCAA World Series on the line. Otto also ranks tied for eighth all-time at JCCC with nine career triples.