The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table hosted “An Evening with the Athletes” at the Lobero Theatre on Wednesday night, an event that celebrated the special award winners from the 2014-15 school year.
The Athletes of the Year are selected by local sports media from each sport covering both the high school and college ranks. Each athlete is mentioned below.
The Athletic Round Table issued three scholarships to Bishop Diego’s Abel Gonzalez, San Marcos’ Sean Nakano-West and Dos Pueblos’ Rachel Teitelbaum.
Athletes can’t do what they do without quality coaching. Bishop Diego’s Jeff Burich and Westmont College’s John Moore were named Coaches of the Year. Burich led the Cardinals girls basketball team to a CIF Championship while Moore took his Warriors all the way to the NAIA National Championship game with a team that was picked to finish 7th in its conference before the season began.
Wednesday’s gathering at the Lobero was the second end-of-the-year event of the week hosted by the Athletic Round Table. The organization’s annual Hall of Fame Banquet was held on Monday at the La Cumbre Country Club.
FALL ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Prep football: Abel Gonzalez, Bishop Diego — The leading rusher for the Cardinals and solid outside linebacker; the senior led the team to a 10-2 record and a first-round win in the Division 3 playoffs. “Most impressive about Abel are the intangibles that he adds to his athletic ability. His leadership ability, his mental and physical toughness, his football IQ and his desire really make him a very special student-athlete,” said coach Tom Crawford.
Boys water polo: Blake Parrish, Dos Pueblos — When they talk about an athlete being in “Beast-mode” Blake fits that description when he’s playing water polo. He scored 204 goals as a senior, 8th best all-time in CIF-SS history, and scored 519 goals in his four-year varsity career, sixth best in section history. He was Channel League MVP, All-CIF first-team and DP’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is headed to Stanford.
Girls volleyball: Peyton Shelburne, Cate; Anika Wilson, San Marcos — Wilson was the Royals’ leading hitter. She sparked her team to share of Channel League title and CIF quarterfinals; she was named Channel League MVP and City Player of the Year. “She was our go-to player. She led our team in all areas of stats almost every game,” said coach Erica Menzel Downing. Anika is headed to Pepperdine to play sand volleyball.
A potent outside hitter, Shelburne helped the Rams win the CIF title and their first state tournament match. She had 199 kills, served 59 aces, picked up 155 digs, had 12 blocks and posted a passing average of 2.08. “We are fortunate to have her on the court for all six rotations and to have her in the program for one more year,” said coach Greg Novak.
Boys cross country: Chris Wasjutin, Dos Pueblos — Wasjutin led the Dos Pueblos boys to first place at Santa Barbara County Championships, second place at Channel League Finals, and through Prelims to join the 16 teams that qualified for Southern Section Finals. He was the first Charger finisher in all races except one. He was runnerup at the county and Channel League finals.
Girls cross country: Adilene Aldapa, San Marcos — Qualified for State Meet and finished 13th in a school-record time on the Woodward Park course. She was the county’s best finisher at CIF finals, coming in 11th in Division 3 meet. She is headed to San Jose State.
Girls tennis: Madison Hale-Mattea Kilstofte, Santa Barbara High — The Dons doubles team won Channel League championship and were CIF runners-up. They are the first SBHS doubles team to play in a CIF Final since 1997 and they took the top-seeded team from Peninsula to three sets. “They represented SBHS with pride and class. It was a fitting end to our season as they played high quality tennis and fought until the very last point,” said coach Greg Tebbe. Kilstofte is going to bring Santa Barbara sunshine to Dayton University and Hale is headed to UC San Diego.
Girls golf: Bella Vigna, Dos Pueblos — Vigna was the Channel League champion as a freshman. She won the league tournament by 11 strokes, shot a 1-under 70 the first day. Shot a low-31 in a nine-hole match during regular season.
College women’s golf: Saralisa Ortega, SBCC — She was best scorer on WSC’s runner-up team. All-WSC, 13th in regional.
College men’s soccer: Nick DePuy, UCSB — Once they found the right position for Nick, he took off. He was the leading goal scorer with 10 goals, helped the Gauchos win the Big West North Division. He had eight goals in conference play, including five game winners. Earned All-Big West and All-Region honors
College women’s soccer : Tiffany Dimaculangan, Westmont — Center mid was the heart of the team, led the Warriors to GSAC title and national tournament.
College volleyball: Maddie Leiphardt, SBCC — Sophomore setter from DP was WSC North Player of Year, leading team to division title for third straight year. She’s headed to Cal State Northridge.
Men’s water polo: Shane Hauschild, UCSB — All-MPSF honorable mention as a freshman. Led team with 32 goals and was second in assists with 20.
Men’s cross country: Alex Heuchert, SBCC — He placed 4th in the state meet, leading Vaqueros to a program-best 7th place. He’ll run at Cal Poly next season.
Women’s cross country: Kelly Collins, Westmont — The sophomore earned NAIA All-American honors finishing 21st out of 336 runners at nationals. She was second at the GSAC Championships.
College Football: Mitch Wishnowsky, SBCC — Sixth leading punter in state, averaged 40 yards per punt, was No. 1 in state for punts downed inside the 20 (30). All conference and all state. He’s committed to Utah.
College women’s water polo: Rocio Fesembeck, SBCC — The Vaqueros’ leading goal scorer, was named WSC player of year and led team to WSC title in its first season.
WINTER ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Boys basketball; Bolden Brace, Santa Barbara — The junior raised his overall game and led the Dons to a 29-6 record, a third straight Channel League title and the CIF Division 2A semifinals. He averaged 20.5 ppg, 4.2 assists, 6.8 rebounds and shot 56 percent on 2-point attempts.
Girls basketball: Amber Melgoza, Santa Barbara; Jordyn Lilly, Bishop Diego — These players had a remarkable year. Melgoza was one of the leading scorers in the state, averaging 33 points a game. She had six 40-point games and a 50-point game in the CIF quarterfinals. She finished with more than 1,000 points, only the fourth player in CIF-SS history to accomplish the feat. The Dons reached the CIF 2AA semifinals.
Lilly ran the show for the Bishop Diego Cardinals and led them to the CIF Division 5A Championship. She averaged 15.8 points, but her greatest asset was “She made everyone she played with a better play,” said her coach Jeff Burich. Lilly finished her career as Bishop’s all-time scoring leader with 1,288 points.
Men’s Basketball: Alan Williams, UCSB — Big Al averaged 16.8 points and 11.9 rebounds, No. 2 in the country. He was a three-time All-Big West first-team selection and finished his career as UCSB’s all-time leading rebounder.
Women’s basketball: Kristin Karr, Westmont — She helped the Warriors reach the NAIA Fab Four; she averged 12.7 ppg, made 68 3-pointers, and made a huge 3-point play in the third overtime to help Westmont upset NO. 2 seed Oklahoma Baptist in the NAIA quarterfinals. Karr was a third-team NAIA All-American.
Girls water polo: Paige Hauschild, San Marcos — The Royals leading scorer, the sophomore was a force at both ends of the pool. She was the Channel League MVP and earned All-CIF honors. She was invited to play with the USA Water Polo Senior National Team against New Zealand.
Wrestling: Cameron Cox, Dos Pueblos — The senior won a CIF individual title, DP’s first champion in five years, and qualified for the State Meet. He was the Chargers’ first state qualifier since 2010.
Men’s swimming: Wade Allen, UCSB — Allen won the 100 free at the MPSF Championships in school record time 43.15. Swam fastest 400 free relay leg of all-time at UCSB of 42.63.
Women’s swimming: Katie Records, UCSB — Won three individual titles at the MPSF championships: 200 breaststroke, 200 IM and 100 breaststroke.
Boys soccer: Geoffrey Acheampong, Cate — The UCSB-bound midfielder finished his prep career on a high note, scoring 16 goals with 20 assists on the season. As a team, Cate scored 48 goals in 17 games. Acheampong was directly involved in 75 percent of the Rams’ scoring.
Girls soccer: Malia Morales, Dos Pueblos — Led the Chargers to a 6-1-1 record in Channel League. Her throw-in was a great weapon. She had 14 assists, many coming off the long throw.
SPRING ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Prep Baseball: RJ Cordeiro, Bishop Diego: He posted some big numbers during his senior year: a .435 batting average with eight homers (1 for every 8 at-bats), six doubles, 26 RBI, a .603 on-base percentage and a 1.130 slugging percentage. He has a scholarship to Fresno State, but could sign a pro contract depending on where he’s drafted in the amateur baseball draft next month.
Prep Softball: Lani Evans & Veronika Gulvin, Dos Pueblos — The Chargers pair of aces dominate on the mound and tear it up at the plate.
Gulvin recorded 148 strikeouts against 9 walks in 90 innings pitched with opponents batting only .137. She finishes the regular season 12-2 with an ERA 0.70. 8 of 11 complete games are shutouts with 3 no hitters and one perfect game. As a hitter, she’s batting .371 with 16RBI, 5 doubles and 3 HR. Veronika will be pitching for UCSB next season.
Evans has an ERA 0.76 with 91 strikeouts in 64 innings against 30 walks, holding opponents to batting average of a measley .128. Lani has a team-leading average of.414, including 6 home runs. Lani will be pitching for division 1, Iona College in New York
Boys volleyball: Hayden Millington, Santa Barbara — Ripped off 38 services aces, 146 kills and posted 2.59 passing rating for the entire season, leading the Dons to an undefeated Channel League season.
Boys tennis: Kento Perera, San Marcos — Kento is a two-time Channel League Champion Singles player, winning as a freshman and sophomore. Last season he was 32-2 and this season he was 30-2. He has not lost a set in Channel League play nor in the Channel League Singles Tournament. “He is an extraordinary young scholar-athlete who comes along once in a generation and he carries a 4.76 GPA and ranks first in his class,” said his coach Jarrod Bradley said
Girls track: Erica Schroeder, San Marcos — School record holder in the 800 and 1600. Has the top 800 time in CIF Division 3 and is ranked 4th in state. She is the defending champion in the event and goes for a 2nd straight title on Saturday at the CIF Divisional Finals in Cerritos. “Erica’s dedication is second to none. She understands what it means to commit to something and wholeheartedly does all she can to obtain her goals,” said coach Marilyn Hantgin. Erica kills it in the classroom, too. She has a 4.6 GPA
Boys track: Cameron Shinn, San Marcos — Channel League champion in the long jump and triple jump. His triple jump of 45-06.75 is best in D3. He qualified for CIF finals in the triple. “He has grown into such a great competitor. He has improved exceptionally this year not only in how far he’s jumped but how he has competed throughout the season.” Marilyn Hantgin. He has a 4.1 gpa
Boys swimming: Alex Valente, Dos Pueblos — Alex won his second straight CIF Division 1 title and broke his own CIF record in the 100 butterfly on Saturday. His time of 46.00 is the third fastest ever by a high school swimmer. Alex is a four-time Channel league team champion and finishes his career with a perfect 16-0 record in dual meets. Alex will be attending USC in the fall.
Girls swimming: Olivia Smith, San Marcos — Olivia is a do-it-all swimmer for the Royals. Wherever coach Chuckie Roth needed her, she delivered. “When your best athlete is willing to do anything for the team, that makes everyone else fall in line for that,” he said. She won Channel League titles in the 200 free and 100 butterfly and helped the Royals win the 200 and 400 free relays in meet-record times. She was a CIF finalist in the 100 fly and was part of two CIF finals relay teams that set school records.
Boys lacrosse: Cole Brennan, Cate — “Cole was undoubtedly our focal point on offense this season,” said coach Philip Keebler. “Not only was he physically able to win his match-up and distribute the ball, much like a point guard in basketball, he also brought a superior understanding of the game which allowed him to exploit weaknesses in opposing defenses and make the players around him better.”
Girls lacrosse: Sam Hill, Cate — A natural defender, Sam showed she can deliver on the offensive side of the ball, too. She scored 48 goals, had 88 assists and won 78 draws in 14 games this season. Said her coach Renee Mack: Physically, she is one of the strongest players on the field. Just last week, two goalies actually ducked at the speed of her shot.
Boys golf: Niels Andersen, San Marcos — A consistent scorer in the mid 70s all season; he qualified for the CIF Individual Finals; helped San Marcos go unbeaten in Channel League and win the CIF Central Coast Division title, the program’s first title since 2004 and the school’s first CIF team title since 2006.
College Baseball: Co-winners: Dillon Tate of UCSB and Russell Harmening of Westmont:
Tate is a projected top-five pick in the upcoming amateur baseball draft. Tate is a dominating pitcher and is a big reason UCSB is having one of its best baseball seasons in program history. He’s held opponents to a .187 batting average, with 100 strikeouts in 95.1 innings. His ERA is 2.08.
Harmening came out of a small high school in San Diego County and dominated at Westmont. He has 28 career wins, including 10 this season; a career 2.39 ERA, 1.59 this season; a season-record 95 striketouts this season and 246 for three seasons.
Men’s golf: Brett Patton, SBCC – The sophomore from Dos Pueblos won the WSC Championship and followed that with a Southern California Regional Championship with a 7-under 137; and he finished eighth in the state.
College Softball: MeShalon Moore, UCSB – The junior catcher emerged as one of the Big West’s top power hitters, rapping out 22 extra base hits , including 9 homers, and hitting .345 BA. She drove in a team leading 42 RBI, third-most in Gaucho history. She was named First-team All Big West.
Men’s volleyball: Jonah Seif, UCSB – The Gaucho setter received his second career All-America award, earning second-team honors. He averaged 10.18 assists per game, set career bests in service aces (0.34 per game, second among MPSF setters) and digs (2.26 per game, tops among conference setters). He finished the season with 967 assists, 51 kills, 32 aces, 215 digs, and 77 blocks.
Men’s tennis: Nathan Eshmade, UCSB — Nathan Eshmade came on strong at the end of the season and helped the Gauchos to the Big West Tournament championship and a bid in the NCAA Tournament. Playing at the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Eshmade came from behind to win the deciding match against UC Irvine, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, to give UCSB to a 4-3 win.
Women’s tennis: Lauren Stratman, Westmont — The junior had a regular season record of 17-2 at the number one singles position before the NAIA National tournament. She and doubles partner Ines Costamagna went 20-1 in the regular season.
Men’s track: Bas Van Leersum, SBCC — The state community college champion and So Cal champion in the 400 hurdles. Van Leersum set the school record and broke it three times in the event. He is the Western State Conference champion in the 400 hurdles and 400 meters.
Women’s track: Elysia Mitchell, Westmont — Elysia is with the Warriors team at the NAIA Nationals in Alabama. She won the 100 meters and 400 hurdles and was on two winning relays at the GSAC Championships. Mitchell tied the school record in the 100 at 12.05 meters. She’s competing for national titles in the 400 meters and 4×400 relay. She is the NAIA indoor national champion in 600 meters.
Women’s swimming: Rachelle Visser, SBCC — She won state titles in the 200 IM and 400 IM, setting a meet record in the 400 IM; finished 2nd in the 200 fly at the state meet; WSC Swimmer of the Year, and Vaqueros won first conference title. She owns 9 individual event school records.
Women’s water polo: Samantha Murphy, UCSB — Murphy provided UCSB with 34 goals and eight assists over the season, as she finished with a team-high 42 points. While she was efficient on offense in shooting 42.5 percent, the junior was also strong defensively in wrangling 20 steals, second-most on the team.
