A pair of Laguna Blanca athletes and a coach were recipients of special awards at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon.
Junior Eddie Conk was presented with the Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award; senior Alex Greer was named Laguna Blanca’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and boys basketball coach Sal Rodriguez was honored as the Coach of the Month.
Conk named Phil Womble Award winner
Eddie Conk
Conk plays on the basketball and tennis teams. Off the court, he’s co-Editor-in-Chief of the school’s online newspaper, The Fourth Estate, and he’s involved in the student philanthropic project, Santa Barbara Sports Drive, where gently used sports equipment and clothing is collected and donated to kids of low-income families.
Mike Biermann, Laguna Blanca’s athletic director, described Conk as a “tremendous individual” and recognized him for his hard work. He said the hard work paid off this season in basketball. Conk was hoping to make the varsity but he started the season on the JV team.
“True to Eddie’s character, he didn’t complain and continued to work extremely hard,” Biermann said. “It wasn’t long before Sal Rodriguez recognized that and pulled him up to varsity, and he contributed a lot to this season’s success.”
Greer LBS Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Alex Greer
Greer carries a 4.63 grade point average carrying a class load of AP courses in biology, statistics, English Literature, calculus, as well as Latin and leadership.
He is a member of the cross country and tennis teams. He has run in the CIF cross country championships all four years at Laguna Blanca.
Greer, who’s been accepted at Dartmouth, has achieved several academic honors. They include: National Merit Scholarship finalist, Cum Laude Society, AP Scholar with Honor, David Elkins Award for Outstanding Character, Tierney Award for Excellence in Latin, Humanitas Honor Society, Student Ambassador, Honor Roll with High Honors, National Forensics League Honor Society.
He is captain of the school’s debate team, a mock trial attorney and is student body vice president.
One of Greer’s favorite activities outside of school is backpacking and mountaineering. He did a solo back-backing trip over the entire 220-mile John Muir Trail in the Sierras, which included a climb to the top of Mt. Whitney. He’s also climbed two other 14,000-foot peaks in the Rockies.
“He’s an unassuming, quiet leader,” said Biermann.
Rodriguez is Coach of the Month
Sal Rodriguez guided the Laguna Blanca boys basketball team to a third-place finish in the Condor League and a CIF playoff berth.
“We’re just extremely fortunate to have him on our staff,” Biermann said of Rodriguez. “He’s so much more than a basketball coach. He’s a true role model for our athletes.”
