The home stretch is here for the prep winter sports and local coaches provided updates on their quests for league titles and postseason berths at Monday’s SBART Press Luncheon.
Four Athlete of the Week Award recipients were honored as a result of the MLK Day Hiatus. For the week of 1/12-1/18 Reagan Mack of Dos Pueblos High girls’ water polo and Koji Hefner of San Marcos High boys’ basketball were the SBART Athletes of the Week. For the week of 1/19-1/25 the award recipients were Bethany King of San Marcos High girls’ water polo and Carlos Garcia of Carpinteria boys’ soccer.
Mack notched 45 saves and surrendered just nine goals over four games as Dos Pueblos went unbeaten and won the Oceanview Tournament Championship.
Hefner led San Marcos to victories over Pacifica and Santa Barbara. Against the Dons Hefner racked up 18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals. It was San Marcos’ first victory over rival Santa Barbara since February 2023.
King finished with 32 saves in 5 games at Newport Elite 8 Tournament SM went 3-2 and finished in 3rd place after playing three of the top ten teams in State.
Garcia scored two goals in a 4-2 victory over Malibu and one goal in a 4-1 victory over Nordhoff. The Warriors are 9-4-2 overall this season and 7-2-1 in Citrus Coast League play.
Phil Womble Award
Gavin Rutland was recognized for his athletic, academic, and personal contributions at Providence High School as a recipient of the Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award at Monday’s SBART press luncheon.
The award honors student-athletes who demonstrate values such as accountability, respect, honesty, sportsmanship, and a commitment to team success over individual recognition. Rutland is one of eight local student athletes to receive the award over the course of the school year.
Rutland competes in both indoor and beach boys volleyball at Providence. He also holds a black belt in Hapkido and competes as a Junior Lifeguard and triathlete. In addition to athletics, Rutland is involved in several extracurricular organizations, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the California Lifeguarding Association, and Kids Helping Kids.
Providence athletic director Dan Terry praised Rutland’s attitude and leadership as an example for others to aspire.
“He’s consistently receptive to coaching and focused on improving,” Terry said. “He encourages his teammates and does what the team needs.”
Academically, Rutland maintains a 4.26 grade point average while enrolled in challenging coursework such as pre-calculus, American literature, U.S. history, and chemistry.
Terry also noted Rutland’s impact on team culture, describing his presence as a positive influence during practices and competitions.
Rutland is the fourth student-athlete honored with the Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award this year, joining Elina Stump of Santa Barbara High, Logan Pearce of Dos Pueblos, and Maddie Kollock of Cate School. The award is sponsored by Dave Pintard of the Pintard Group.
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