Linehan honored as Bishop’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Erin Linehan loves riding horses.

The Bishop Diego senior rides high in the classroom and on the volleyball court, too.

Erin Linehan is Bishop Diego's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Erin Linehan is Bishop Diego’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Linehan on Monday was named Bishop Diego’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon.

Linehan has been a standout player on the girls volleyball team for the past three years. She won the Coach’s Award for the best defensive player. She was the team’s libero. She also played soccer for three years.

Outside of school, she competes in equestrian sports and has won titles at the national and local levels. She hopes to ride competitively in college.

Linehan tackles academics in a full gallop. She carries a 4.55 GPA carrying a class load that includes Advanced Placement government, calculus and Spanish, honors physics, ethics, advanced multimedia and English Literature.

She posted the highest GPA at school during her junior year and was ranked No. 2 in her class for the fall semester as a senior. Her academic honors include Bishop Merit Scholarship, Bishop Marshall Award, head of the school honor program, National Honors Society and the Varsity Scholar Award winner, presented to the varsity athlete with the highest GPA.

“She is the epitome of student athlete as she balances a rigorous academic schedule with the challenges of maintaining a high level of success in a number of different sports,” said her volleyball coach Jason Donnelly.

Linehan also studied abroad in Cadiz, Spain and did a service project in Guatemala. She was voted Global Youth Scholarship Connection Female Youth Leader of the Year and won an all-expenses paid trip to Washington DC to attend a conference.

Her college choices include Boston College, Notre Dame or Virginia.

In the community, Linehan volunteers at the Hearts Theraputic Equestrian Center. Her goal is to get involved in equine therapy.