Five officially inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame
Kim Mortensen Newman remains as puzzled by the phenomenon now as she was then.
Why is it that Ventura County has been so prolific in turning out star distance runners?
"I don't know," she says with a smile. "I know there have been lots of them, and its a good group now."
Indeed, Ventura High's Sadie Engelhardt and Newbury Park High's elite group led by Colin Sahlman and Samantha McDonnell rank among the best distance runners in the state and nation.
The first area super distance talent was Mortensen Newman.
As a senior at Thousand Oaks High in 1996, she crafted a postseason run, most literally, that's still awesome in its scope.
In a span of three weeks and the season's premier events — CIF-Southern Section championships, CIF Masters and CIF State finals — Mortensen Newman won four races and produced three of the fastest high school times ever posted nationally in the 3,200 meters.
Her Masters mark of 9 minutes, 48.59 seconds would remain a national record until 2019, or 23 years later.
On Sunday night, Mortensen Newman officially took her spot in the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.
She's among a stellar five-member that includes Mike Lieberthal, the Westlake High graduate and All-Star catcher in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons; Terrail Lambert, the former St. Bonaventure football player who starred for four seasons at Notre Dame; Henry Lobo, the renowned basketball coach who transformed the Oxnard High boys program into a CIF-SS power; and the late, great Lynn Clopper Losch, a Ventura High product and among the best softball and basketball players to ever play in the county.
All were inducted in a dinner/ceremony at the Serra Center in Camarillo.
Not only is the HOF's latest class among the best ever inducted, it's the only one that's three years in the making. The Hall of Fame dinner had been cancelled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The night also belonged to the county's best and brightest high school senior stars. The boys and girls athletes from each county high school are now part of the Hall of Fame laurels.
Two senior standouts received special honors as the Hall of Fame's boys and girls athletes of the year.
Gabriela Jaquez, Camarillo High record-setting basketball player, is the Girls Athlete of the Year. Sahlman, Newbury Park's gifted distance runner, is the Boys Athlete of the Year.
It was an emotional evening for the HOF's newest inductees.
Lieberthal called the honor "humbling" and noted that he garnered one hit in his first season in youth baseball. He blossomed from there.
"I've always considered myself very lucky to play the game of baseball and to play it for a living," he said.
Lieberthal put together a senior season at Westlake High that forever ranks among the best all-time in the county. He racked up 43 hits, 43 RBIs and 13 home runs.
The centerpiece was a performance against county power Simi Valley that might never be topped. Lieberthal smacked four home runs and drove in a county-record 10 RBIs with a grand slam, three-run homer, two-run homer and solo shot.
Weighing all of 155 pounds, he became the No. 3 selection in the 1990 Major League draft when he was chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies.
He would go on to play 13 MLB seasons, starting in 1994 with the Phillies. The two-time All-Star posted his best season in 1999 when he batted .300 with 31 home runs and 96 RBIs.
He offered advice to the high school athletes in the room and noted there are "no short cuts" to success.
"It's not about the will to win, it's about the will to prepare to win," he said. "If you doubt yourself for one second, you will not succeed."
Lambert struck a similar chord by stressing that he was elevated by a "football culture" that valued hard work and a team-first philosophy.
He credited other county football stars, including Ventura's Tyler Ebell and St. Bonaventure's Lorenzo Booker, as providing motivation.
"I stand on the shoulders of giants," he said.
Lambert's time at St. Bonaventure High from 2002 through 2004 included two CIF-SS championships and one runner-up finish. He was so gifted that his senior season ended with selections to the all-CIF-SS Division 4 team on both offense and defense.
He became a three-year starter at cornerback for Notre Dame and recorded 115 tackles and four interceptions and played in three bowl games
Lobo is among the most influential coaches to ever grace the county. He's also as humble as a monk.
When he was informed that he had been selected to the county hall of fame, his reaction was to the point: "Why me? I'm just a coach."
Before Lobo took over as head coach of the Oxnard boys basketball program in 1991, the team experienced 10 losing seasons in 11 years.
By his fourth season in 1994, the Yellowjackets earned their first winning record since 1984-95. The success would not stop.
Utilizing what would become the program's defensive trademark — a high-pressure, full-court man to man — Oxnard posted eight 20-win seasons in the next 10 years.
Lobo retired as head coach after the 2007-2008 season with a 300-148 record, including Southern Section semifinal appearances in 2003 and 2006.
He remains with the program as a top assistant to head coach Jeff Staniland.
"Coaching is what I do. It's my passion," he said.
His advice to high school athletes is straightforward.
"Go out and do what you love," he said. "Set the world on fire."
Mortensen's impact on county track and field is still strong today. Her CIF-SS best mark of 9:48.59 is still being chased by the county's best in the 3,200.
The lifelong county resident lives with her family in Simi Valley and works as a Learning Specialist at Oaks Christian Middle School. She lauds the impact the community has meant to her.
"I'm very proud of our community for how we embrace and celebrate each other," she said.
Clopper Losch passed away from breast cancer in 2013 and left an indelible mark on county athletes.
The 1967 graduate of Ventura High played for the Cougars' first three varsity basketball teams while posting a record of 46-2. Ventura was the CIF-SS Division 4A semifinalist in 1975.
Softball was her best sport and the shortstop/pitcher led Ventura into the Miss Softball America National Tournament for three straight years. The Cougars won titles in 1974 and 1975 and took second in 1976.
She went on to play softball for UC Davis and worked as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist from 1985 to 2004.
Loren Ledin is the Prep Editor for The Star. He can be reached at loren.ledin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0285.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Five officially inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame
