The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
Photos by John Napalan
Wilson High inducted four new members into its school-wide sports Hall of Fame last Friday, at halftime of the Bruins’ football game against Long Beach Poly. The four new Bruin Hall of Famers are basketball/track star Kim Gildersleeve, soccer stars Garrett Gunther and Claire Oates, and current track and field coach Neil Nelson.
All four walked the length of the football field while being cheered on both sides by WIlson students, and were celebrated by the near-sellout crowd as well as their friends and families. Nelson’s induction caused quite a commotion, as the current Wilson track team mobbed him and screamed so loud it made Nelson cover his ears in happy surrender.
“I couldn’t even hear anything, I couldn’t hear what the announcer was saying,” said Nelson. “You know how I am–I’m laid back, I’m not looking for this type of thing. But to be put in this type of situation, I’m feeling blessed right now. When they brought it up with me I said don’t you think I should wait until I’m done coaching? And my wife convinced me and I’m glad she did. I know I’m not done. We’re going to build on what we’ve been doing and keep going on runs.”
Asked how long he thought it would be before his hearing recovers, Nelson laughed.
“It’s going to be a while,” he said. “That was pretty loud.”
Nelson graduated in 1988 and was an All-Moore League basketball and track athlete with the Bruins. Uner Nelson’s tutelage the Bruins have won three Moore League titles, three CIF-SS Division 1 team championships, and back-to-back state championships for the first time in school history. More than 30 athletes have received college scholarships since Nelson took over.
Basketball and track standout Kim Gildersleeve graduated in 1999 after leading Wilson to three Moore League girls’ basketball titles and a runner-up appearance in the 1998 CIF-SS championship. She was three-times All-Moore League and a two-time CIF State champion in the 800 meter, as well as the anchor of the national record-setting 4×400 relay for the Bruins.
Gildersleeve went on to be an All-Big West track and field athlete at CSUN and to compete professionally, winning the New Balance Invitational in the 800 in New York.
Soccer standout Garrett Gunther graduated in 2007 and went on to play at Stanford as well as in Belgium for KRC Genk. Gunther was three-time All-Moore League and was the 2007 league MVP on the Moore League championship squad. In 2009 he helped lead Stanford to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. He played professionally in Estonia in 2012.
Claire Oates, class of 2014, is a well-known recent soccer star for the Bruins. She was a three-time All-Moore League first teamer, scored the game-winning goal in the team’s 2013 CIF-SS championship, and went on to a standout NCAA career at SMU.
Oates scored 11 game-winners in college and was an AAC All-Tournament player as well. She played professionally or five years in Europe and notched 10 international goals.
