SBCC Annual Hall of Fame Inductees to be Feted on May 31

Elite Group Includes Longtime Coaches and Supporters, Olympians, and NBA Players

The SBCC Hall of Fame Class of 2025 | Photo: Courtesy

SBCC will honor a distinguished group of former athletes and coaches at its annual Hall of Fame Induction Celebration on Saturday, May 31.

Inductees include Ron Anderson Sr., Dylan Axelrod, Dax Holdren, Carrie LaBudde-Cotter, Ellen O’Connor, Chuck Melendez, Diane Wootton, and the 2001 women’s tennis team led by legendary head coach Ingrid Schmitz.

The Late Bloomer

SBCC athletics began in 1951 when Bud Revis started the first basketball team. Since then, only two SBCC players have made it to the NBA: Chris McNealy (who played for the New York Knicks from 1985-1988) and 2025 Hall of Fame Inductee Ron Anderson Sr.

Originally from Chicago, Anderson’s life took a turn when he met a SBCC player by the name of Keith Williams, who recruited him to Santa Barbara City College at the age of 21.

Anderson had no formal basketball experience, but a massive post–high school growth spurt blessed him with a 6′7″ frame. He played in 65 games at SBCC, averaging 16 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 58.8 percent from the field.

After his time at SBCC, Anderson continued his collegiate career at Fresno State, where he averaged 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds as a junior.

He was MVP of that year’s National Invitation Tournament, leading the Bulldogs past DePaul in the championship game at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Anderson continued his upward trajectory as a senior, averaging 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected him in the second round of the 1984 NBA Draft. He averaged 10.6 points over the course of 10 seasons with five teams.

Anderson blossomed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1988-89 when he averaged 16.2 points and 5.0 rebounds while playing alongside NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.

Following his 10 years in the NBA, Anderson played professionally overseas, primarily in France. He did not officially retire from the game until 2010 at the age of 52.

For the Love of the Game

Dylan Axelrod’s journey to the big leagues wasn’t easy, but through hard work and dedication, he reached the pinnacle of his sport.

After losing his mother at a young age, Axelrod became a standout baseball player at Santa Barbara High and was named Channel League MVP in 2003. Axelrod then moved on to SBCC, where he set a school record of 117 strikeouts in 2005. That same season, the Vaqueros advanced to their first Southern California Regional since 1978.

“I had a great experience at SBCC. It started with the leadership of head coach Teddy Warrecker and pitching coach Matt Hobbs. Teddy ran a tight ship and really turned the program around. Hobbs was the best pitching coach I ever had; he’s now at University of Arkansas, which is well-deserved,” Axelrod said. “They pushed us developmentally in terms of strength and conditioning and a pretty aggressive throwing program. I gained about 10 miles per hour in my time there and was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to UC Irvine.”

In addition to his outstanding achievements at Santa Barbara High and SBCC, Axelrod added to his hometown legacy playing for the Santa Barbara Foresters in the summer of 2006. The team won the NBC World Series Title as he went 5-0 with a 2.01 ERA. He was inducted into the Foresters Hall of Fame in 2014.

His success at SBCC earned him a spot at UC Irvine, where he experienced similar groundbreaking success as the Anteaters reached the College World Series in 2007. Axelrod recorded three of UC Irvine’s NCAA Tournament wins in the process.

He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 30th round of 2007 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut on September 11, 2007, with the Chicago White Sox. He pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

Axelrod went on to appear in 48 games with the White Sox and 11 more with the Cincinnati Reds before he was released in 2015.

Embracing the Sand

Volleyball was not Dax Holdren’s first sport at San Marcos High, as he was a standout baseball and basketball player before joining the indoor volleyball team as a junior.

Holdren continued playing volleyball at SBCC, where he won the Western State Conference Championship under head coach Jay Hanseth, who was a veteran of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tour.

After leaving SBCC, Holdren refined his skills on the beach and joined the AVP tour in 1997. He finished second at the U.S. Championships along with teammate Todd Rogers in his first year and was named AVP Rookie of the Year.

Holdren captured an event title in six straight seasons from 1998 to 2003, on four different tours. Over his professional career, Holdren had 14 total wins on the AVP tour and found great success on the international stage.

Most notably, Holdren won a silver medal at the 2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rio de Janeiro to earn a spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Holdren earned a fifth-place finish with partner Stein Metzger.

From the Valley to the Ocean

As a 5′10″ forward from Santa Ynez High, Carrie LaBudde-Cotter made her mark as a prolific scorer and rebounder for the SBCC women’s basketball program.

At Santa Ynez High School, LaBudde-Cotter earned All-CIF Southern Section Division 1-A honors in 1986 and 1987. She averaged 13.9 points a game as a junior and followed that up with a stellar senior season, when she scored 16.7 points per game.

LaBudde-Cotter led SBCC to just its second Southern California Regional berth in 1989. She then garnered first team All-Western State Conference honors as a sophomore in 1988-89, in Ellen O’Connor’s first year as coach. Those Vaqueros went 18-12 and advanced to the SoCal Regionals for the first time in 10 years.

She was later inducted into the California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2003.

SBCC Royalty

Before Ellen O’Connor was a brilliant coach, or a professor of Physical Health Education, or an Athletics Administrator, she played basketball at UC Berkeley from 1976-1979, where she served on the Golden Bears Captain’s Council.

Her leadership abilities have only grown with time as she served two separate stints as SBCC interim athletic director from 2009 to 2011 and again in 2016-2017.

She got her start in coaching while earning a graduate degree at UC Davis, serving as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program.

O’Connor took over the SBCC women’s basketball program in 1988 and won 183 games during her 14 seasons. SBCC posted a win-loss record of 86-35 during her last four years while earning Southern California Regional bids during each of those seasons.

She was inducted into the CCCAA Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

A Team for the Ages

Kinsley Carnahan, Melissa Harmon, Jaime Higa, Gabriela Bou Ghosson Marcato, Jenny May, Juri Otsuka, Kelsey Roberts, and Sonja Woerle were members of the undefeated 2001 SBCC women’s tennis team that won the CCCAA State Championship under head coach Ingrid Schmitz.

Otsuka earned the 2001 Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award, the Western State Conference Player of the Year Award, and All-America honors in singles and in doubles with her partner Higa. She continued her collegiate career at Westmont.

The team was a diverse group from all over the world. Otsuka was from Japan, Marcato from Brazil, and Woerle from Austria. Higa was from Maui, while May was an accomplished model from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Roberts, a graduate of San Marcos High School, was a trained ballerina.

Their coach Schmitz was a former SBCC player from 1977 to1979. She earned All-Conference honors, was elected captain, and was voted Most Inspirational Player both years.

After teaching her first tennis class in 1986, Schmitz was the SBCC women’s tennis coach for nine years beginning in 1992. During this time, her teams won seven Western State Conference titles and placed second the other two years.

She compiled 119 wins and six losses in conference play. She guided her teams to two Regional Championships: the State Final Four in 1995, State Runner-Up in 2000, and the State Championship in 2001. She was awarded the Western State Conference Coach of the Year three times, and was selected as the Wilson State Coach of the Year in 1998. She retired from coaching in 2001 to spend more time with her young family but continued her other duties at SBCC.

SBCC Golf Pioneer

Diane Wootton helped raise the funds that started the SBCC Women’s Golf program in 1996. She also assisted in organizing and running the luncheon and fashion-show fundraisers, as well as several golf tournaments that have sustained over the years.

Wootton’s more than a half-century in the sport of golf has included terms as president of the Ladies Golf Association at both Alisal Ranch and the Birnam Wood Country Club. She won the association’s tournament championship 22 times. She has served as secretary, tournament director, and first vice-president for the Women’s Southern California Golf Association (WSCGA). Wootton was also a trustee for the WSCGA Foundation in 2008-09 and received the organization’s Distinguished Service Award in 2016.

A Man of Many Coaching Talents

When it comes to coaching, Chuck Melendez was a jack-of-all-trades, serving as a head coach in four different sports: baseball, football, and both men’s and women’s golf.

He retired in 2020 as the longest-tenured head coach in SBCC history with 31 years of service. His career as both a coach and teacher at the college spanned 35 years.

Melendez came to SBCC from Dos Pueblos High School in 1976 to play both baseball and football. He was the signal-caller for an SBCC team that won the Western State Conference football championship during his freshman year.

He went on to play at Eastern Oregon State and ranked among the national passing leaders in the small college division.

Melendez was hired by SBCC’s physical education and athletic departments in 1982 to teach and served as an assistant football coach. He left in 1985 to become the offensive coordinator at Nebraska’s Chadron State. He also coached at Humboldt State for two years while earning a master’s degree before returning to SBCC in 1988.

He served as the Vaqueros’ head coach in baseball from 1990 to 1994 and in football from 1994 to 2000. He guided SBCC to bowl berths in both 1996 and 1997.

However, Melendez’s greatest coaching success came during his two decades leading SBCC men’s and women’s golf teams. He won more state championships than any other Vaquero coach in history by guiding the women’s golf team to California Community College Athletic Association titles in 2006, 2008, 2013, and 2015.

The 2025 SBCC Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Celebration takes place on Saturday, May 31, at the SBCC Campus Center, 721 Cliff Drive. The event begins at noon. Tickets are $50 and are available online at bit.ly/3GDFdjD.