The postseason is here, and the time to survive and advance has come for local teams and individual athletes who excelled during the regular season.
Sophia Hall of San Marcos High swimming and Phil Contakes of Dos Pueblos track and field garnered SBART Athlete of the Week honors for standout individual performances from April 20 through April 26.
The Royals completed an undefeated regular season with a win over Camarillo, led by Hall’s brilliance. She finished first in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle. Hall was also a member of the San Marcos 4×50 and 4×100 relay teams that took first place.
Contakes took first place in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters at the SB County Championships. He was also a member of the Dos Pueblos 4×800 relay team that broke a school record with a time of 7:53.93. Contakes’ efforts helped the Chargers win a share of the boys’ title.
Westmont Scholar Athlete of the Year
Thomas Reed of Westmont track and field received the Westmont Scholar Athlete of the Year award at Monday’s press luncheon.
In the classroom, Reed maintains a 4.0 GPA and won the First Senior Award, which is presented to the graduating senior with the highest GPA. He plans to attend the prestigious UC Davis School of Medicine.
Reed joined Westmont track and field as a walk-on but developed into a key contributor. Within a year, he became Westmont cross country’s third runner at the NCAA Championships.
At this past weekend’s PacWest Championships, Reed put together an incredible display of teamwork in the 1,500-meter race. The Warriors had five entries, and Reed had the slowest seed time. He pushed the pace and sacrificed his chance at a personal record to open up the race. Three of his teammates achieved personal-best times, and a fourth recorded his best time of the season.
“It was electrifying for our team, and when I announced Thomas after the meet, the whole team erupted because they were so impressed and so excited for what he did for our team in that particular race,” said Westmont track and field coach Russell Smelley. “That’s the kind of man he has been. He has made our team better with his presence.”
Santa Barbara County Track and Field Championships
The team scores were tight at the Santa Barbara County Championships. On the boys’ side, Dos Pueblos and Righetti both finished with 92 points, one point ahead of San Marcos. Righetti captured the varsity girls championship with 105 points, edging out Dos Pueblos, which scored 103.
Individually, Dos Pueblos runner Kellan Cotter ran a personal best of 21.81 in the 200 meters, finishing second behind Righetti’s Wyatt Daniels, who posted a PR time of 21.79. Cotter also recorded a PR in the 400 meters at 49.39 and finished second to Daniels, who won in 48.75.
TJ Deakyne was a double winner for the Royals, taking the triple jump with a distance of 41’8” and clearing 6’4” in the high jump. He also finished third in the long jump with a mark of 20’4.75”.
Logan Patterson-Deakyne of San Marcos came out on top in a thrilling 300-meter hurdles race, edging Damien Adams of Lompoc with a time of 38.99.
Santa Barbara senior Malachi Johnston threw a lifetime best of 53’8.5” to win the shot put and also captured the discus with a throw of 139’10”.
Shea Gannon won her first county title at the varsity level, capturing the triple jump at 33’4”. She also placed third in the long jump with a lifetime best of 16’0.5”.
Boys’ Volleyball Playoff Brackets
Santa Barbara’s depth of boys volleyball talent is on full display this spring, with seven local high school teams qualifying for the CIF-SS playoffs.
San Marcos leads the group after a dominant 25-2 regular season and will host Santa Margarita in a Division 1 first-round matchup on Tuesday. Santa Barbara High (17-7) opens Division 3 at home against Diamond Ranch, while Dos Pueblos (17-14) enters Division 5 as the top seed and hosts Aquinas. Bishop Diego (23-8), also in Division 5, hosts Rio Hondo Prep after winning its league title.
In Division 6, Carpinteria (14-5) travels to face Capistrano Valley Christian. Providence (12-10) heads to Santa Ana for a Division 7 matchup with Godinez, and Laguna Blanca (6-8) hosts Lynwood in Division 8.
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