Wilton Quintero, right, and Muhammad Mehai, background, were all-conference players for Westmont this season. (John Dvorak/Presidio Sports Photos)
A quartet of Westmont Warriors has been named to the 2015 All-Golden State Athletic Conference Team. The recipients are:
· Senior defender Blake Joyner of Santa Ynez
· Senior midfielder Muhammad Mehai of Carpinteria
· Junior midfielder Wilton Quintero of Temple City
· Senior midfielder Tanner Wolf of Santa Barbara
“I thought Blake was deserving of selection last year and didn’t receive it. For him to cap off his career with this recognition is terrific,” said Westmont head coach Dave Wolf.
Joyner has played in all 16 games this season and has logged more minutes (1490) than anyone else on the Warrior team. With a goal against San Diego Christian and three assists on the season, Joyner has tallied five points in addition to his defensive contributions.
“From the standpoint of fitness and work ethic, Blake is a real pro in the way he goes about his business,” said Wolf. “Day in and day out, he is a consistent role model in all the attributes we are looking for in players.”
Mehai was named to the All-GSAC team for the second time in as many years.
“Mo made the all-conference team in a different position,” noted Wolf. “Last year he made the team as a defender. When I nominated him, I had to be honest in the sense that the majority of games that he has played this year have been in that defensive midfield role. That speaks to his versatility, his talent to adapt to a different position and his willingness to serve the team.”
Mehai recently recorded the only two goals of his college career. The first came at William Jessup and the second proved to be the game winner against San Diego Christian last Saturday.
“Mo is a terrific athlete and is especially good in the air,” said Wolf. “His aerial ability is one of the best of any player I have coached. I also think he is a terrific leader. That is why he thrived in that defensive midfield position – like center back, it is very much a leadership position.”
Wilton Quintero lead the team in goals scored, all seven of them the result of penalty kicks.
“Statistically Wilton has had a strong season, but the way he has gotten there is very unique,” said Wolf. “Wilton is a player that puts it out there every single game. His sheer desire and determination have won us some games this year because he has either drawn a penalty kick or forced a corner. He plays every minute of every game and trains the same way too. He is the first guy to training and the last to leave. He just loves the sport more than most people do.”
Also repeating as an All-GSAC selection, Wolf notched three goals and four assists during the 2015 campaign to tally 10 points.
“Tanner is amongst the top players in the league,” said the coach. “He has a couple of extremely special abilities. His ability to control a received ball is really terrific and he is a wonderful passer. What he has added this year is a much higher degree of physicality to his game. Where that has shown up is when we are trying to kill a game – when we are up and are trying to get to the finish line.”
The Warriors finished GSAC play tied with The Master’s for third place with a conference record of 6-3-1 and an overall mark of 9-5-2. Westmont lost in the first round of the GSAC Tournament to Hope International on Friday.
