The afternoon started out with SBART president Rich Hanna expressing his condolences to Westmont College women’s basketball coach Kirsten Moore, who lost her husband last week. Alex Moore, an assistant professor in kinesiology at Westmont, died May 9 from complications following surgery for Crohn’s disease. He was 31.

San Marcos softball coach Jeff Swann gave heartfelt thanks to his parents for their tremendous support.

“They’ve been active in this community forever,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here today — not just biologically — without their mentoring, inspiration and the guidance that I’ve received from them my whole life. They never miss a game. They’re fantastic role models. I love you very much.”

San Marcos track and field coach Marilyn Hantgin got choked up talking about seniors Annie Thwing and Kaylin Koopmans, who are members of the Royals’ 4×400 relay team that qualified for the CIF Division Finals. She also brought sophomore member Jill Fisher.

UCSB softball assistant Christine Ramos also became emotional talking about the team’s strong finish (a seven-game winning streak) and the prospects of a bright future.

“I’m excited about the future of the program. We have a lot of talent coming,” said Ramos, fighting back tears.

Dos Pueblos softball coach Lee Harris expressed pride in his daughter, Hannah, and all she’s accomplished in her career.

“She had some goals that she put together in her softball life and I think she accomplished them all: play hard and be the best she could be, help the team win and receive a scholarship to play softball at a Division 1 school,” said coach Harris.

The Chargers are seeking their second straight CIF title and Hannah Harris has a scholarship to Fresno State.

“As a coach, I couldn’t be prouder of her,” he said. “As a dad, even more. Her character speaks volumes.”

UCSB track and field assistant Rob Beamer shared his excitement about the Gaucho men’s team winning its first Big West title in program history.

“Coach (Pete) Dolan has been at the helm for 27 years,” he said. “There’s been silent tributes for his dedication. This is really the first time that we’ve had such collective success. It’s such a special time.”

Other luncheon notes:

Longtime Santa Barbara baseball assistant George Rempe announced that the Dons received an at-large berth in the CIF playoffs and will play at Arcadia on Tuesday in a wild-card game.

It’s the 14th straight year the Dons (15-10) have made the postseason.

Dos Pueblos assistant coach John Ramsdale said the Chargers will host a first-round playoff game on Thursday. He introduced the captains of the Channel League championship squad, Gabe Speier and Joe Huthsing.

Ramsdale said Speier hasn’t pitched much this season. He’s been used as a designated hitter.

“He’s had to deal with some adversity but he’s dealt with it well. He’ll be back at full strength next year as a senior.” said Ramsdale, who added that Speier made a verbal commitment to UCSB.

Huthsing is DP’s all-time home run leader with 14. Ramsdale said the Azusa Pacific commit has “really put his heart and soul into Dos Pueblos baseball.”

Coach Harris also introduced senior Courtney Linhares. “She leads the team in spirit on and off the field,” he said. “She has a big, vocal voice. I can’t stand behind her in the dugout because I’’d have headache by the end of the game. She knows exactly where she fits in the dynamics of the team. I really appreciate it.”

Swann introduced pitcher Kristen Berlo and senior center fielder and two-year captain Emily Dietz. Besides being an outstanding pitcher, Berlo shines in the classroom with a 4.25 GPA. Dietz, a strong leader and communicator, is headed to San Francisco State.

The Royals play at Covina in a wild-card playoff game on Tuesday.

UCSB baseball assistant Zach Etheredge said three losses at UC Irvine and two against Cal State Fullerton knocked the Gauchos out of the Big West race.

“It was a hard blow for us, but we still have some season left.”

The Gauchos suffered another blow when senior Ryan Palermo got hit in the face by an errant baseball and suffered a broken jaw. He’ll miss the rest of the season.

“Keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers,” said Etheredge.

Dos Pueblos tennis coach Liz Frech said the Chargers finished one of their best seasons with a 13-4 record.

She introduced Caleb Franzen, who with No. 1 doubles partner Jake Roberts went 33-10, and the freshman combo of Joshua Lang and Patrick Corpus, who reached the Channel League semifinals.

Bishop Diego baseball assistant Kai Solin brought fleet-footed junior outfielder Jack Gregson and senior pitcher JD Yonke.

“He’s our rock on the hill,” Solin said of Yonke, who is 7-0 with a 0.50 ERA.

On Gregson, Solin said he gets timely hits and plays a great center field.

The Frontier League-champion Cardinals (18-3, 11-1) play either Desert Mountain or Windward in a first-round game on Thursday at home.

Mike Gurney

Mike Gurney is one of those athletes who can brighten your day.

Gurney was honored as the Special Olympics Athlete of the Month at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon.

Gurney plays bocce ball and last summer he helped his Santa Barbara team win the gold medal at the Long Beach Games.

Coach Jaime Rutiga said Gurney is not only a good bocce player, he also has a way of inspiring the other members of the team.

“Every week we have practice, Mike brings a ray of sunshine when there is no sunshine,” Rutiga said. “Bocce seems like an easy sport until you play it and figure out how difficult it is. Mike consistently puts the bocce ball in the right place.”

UCSB's Barbara Nwaba

Santa Barbara High's Gavin Trudeau

The final Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athlete of the Week winners of the 2011-12 school year survived some long days of competition to earn their awards.

Male award recipient Gavin Trudeau, the senior setter for the Santa Barbara High boys volleyball team, helped his team pull through in a pair of five-set marathon playoff matches to reach the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 1 tournament. Behind Trudeau’s all-around play and leadership, the Dons outlasted Los Alamitos and defending CIF champion Mater Dei.

Barbara Nwaba of the UCSB track and field team earned five medals at the Big West Championships, including four golds, and was recognized as the earn female Athlete of the Week.

Nwaba followed her heptathlon title two weeks ago with gold medals in the high jump, 100-meter hurdles and 4×400 relay and a silver in the javelin at the championship meet at UC Irvine last weekend.

The Gauchos missed winning the team title by a half point.

Elizabeth Beebe

Elizabeth Beebe knows all about dealing with adversity.

For two years, the Providence Hall athlete couldn’t play sports because of a nagging foot injury suffered during her freshman year. It was a difficult time for her. She came to the school as a heralded athlete from La Colina Junior High.

But Beebe stayed positive and continued to attend team practices and often kept the team scorebook and did stats during games. She also kept up with her academics.

She returned to the basketball court this past winter and helped Providence Hall advance to the CIF-Southern Section Finals and the state tournament for the first time in its short history.

Beebe on Monday was recognized for her dedication and perseverance by being presented with the Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.

Keith Luberto, Providence Hall’s Athletic Director, knew of Beebe’s athletic prowess when she first came to the school. He later learned she was a student-athlete with great character.

“What truly touched me was every time I asked her how things were going, she always had a smile on her face,” Luberto said. “You could just tell she was pushing through adversity and she had joy in her heart. It’s something for me to learn from. This happened for two years, when she didn’t have the chance to play.”

On the basketball court, Beebe plays with a tremendous tenacity. Luberto noted she isn’t afraid to dive on the court for a loose ball or battle against a taller player. In the state tournament, she went up against a highly recruited 6-4 player and grabbed 17 rebounds in the game.

“She’s a positive role model, not just for the players but the coaches, too,” said Luberto.

Scholar-Athlete of the Year Coby Cress, left, with Kei Kita and Steve Lass of UCSB men's golf.

The story of hard work paying off is the story of senior Kei Kita’s golf career at UCSB.

A walk-on four years ago, Kita played in just one tournament for the Gauchos as a freshman, coach Steve Lass told the crowd at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe. He played in two events during his sophomore season and this year he competed all 10 events.

“By the second half of the season, he was our go-to guy. His nickname now is ‘Chief,’” said Lass.

In his last five tournaments, he has four top-20 finishes. He took fourth in UCSB’s event at Sandpiper and, most recently, placed third at the Big West championships.

“Kei has proven that hard work pays off,” Lass said.

The work of Santa Barbara High sophomore pitcher Gabe Grandcolas has helped the Dons stay in the hunt for a CIF playoff spot, assistant coach George Rempe reported. Grancolas turned in a solid performance but didn’t get the decision in a Dons’ win over Buena and he beat Ventura.

“He’s a huge reason why we’re still in the hunt,” Rempe said.

Rempe congratulated Dos Pueblos for winning a share of the league title and ending Santa Barbara’s two-year run as champion.

“At the beginning of the year, I called (DP) out to be the odds-on favorite and, unfortunately (for us), I was right,” he said.

Dos Pueblos can wrap up the outright league title with a win over San Marcos on Wednesday. Assistant coach John Ramsdale introduced two reasons to the Chargers’ success this season: junior outfielders Dylan Rohde and Anthony Spiritosanto.

Rohde is the second leading hitter on the team and a fiery player, Ramsdale said. Spiritosanto brings a combination of speed and power.

“For my money, he’s the fastest guy in the Channel League in baseball. He’s a big boy, but he can get going,” Ramsdale said.

Carpinteria baseball coach Pat Cooney said the string of series sweeps in Tri-Valley League play ended with a pair of losses last week against Oaks Christian.

This week, the Warriors need a two-game sweep against Malibu to overtake the Sharks for a CIF playoff spot. The first game is Tuesday at Carpinteria.

Cooney introduced utility player Duncan Gordon, left-hand-hitting second baseman Ramon Sanchez and catcher Kevin Stein.

Bishop Diego athletic director Dan Peeters reported the Cardinals are trying to secure their highest seed for the CIF baseball playoffs. They’re 16-3 and 9-1 in the Frontier League with two remaining league games against Fillmore.

Peeters brought the speedy Jacob Salcedo and versatile player John Rios.

Peeters also introduced swimmer Joshua Chevez, who took first place in the 100 breaststroke at the Frontier League Championships.

Cooney said Carpinteria qualified a record 14 swimmers for the CIF Prelims.
Team captains Morgan Cook and Alan Chavez are among those swimmers headed to Riverside on Wednesday for the prelims.

Dos Pueblos won its second straight outright Channel League softball title with a pair of wins over Buena. The Chargers (23-3, 11-1) will learn their playoff draw next Monday.

Coach Lee Harris brought sophomore Monica Salas, who’s been “a maniac at second base,” and outfielder Cassie Davis, who hit a game-winning homer in the sixth inning against Buena and threw out the potential game-tying run in the seventh.

In college baseball, UCSB’s Andrew Checketts said the highlight of his week was watching SBCC win its regional play-in game in 16 innings and reading about Westmont’s success. His Gauchos were swept in a three-game series at UC Irvine.

Despite the losses, Checketts noted that his three freshman pitchers, Greg Mahle, Austin Pettibone and Andrew Vasquez, have performed well.

“I hadn’t had a lot of luck with freshman pitchers having success, and these guys have had a ton of success this year. It bodes well for the future of our baseball team,” he said.

The Gauchos host Big West-leading Cal State Fullerton this weekend.

Westmont coach Robert Ruiz said the Warriors accomplished their goal of playing in May. The Warriors won their last three regular season games to make the GSAC Tournament, their first postseason appearance in 15 years.

“We played eight games in seven days, won five of them, four of them elimination games,” Ruiz said. “I think that showed the heart and character of the guys on our team. There was a lot of fight in them.”

Dos Pueblos' Janelle Nguyen

SBCC's Miles Seemann

The Athlete of the Week award winners for May 7 handled a busy competition schedule and finished on top in their respective championship events.

This week’s winners are Dos Pueblos swimmer Janelle Nguyen and SBCC men’s tennis player Miles Seemann. They were recognized for their accomplishments at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.

Nguyen of Dos Pueblos won two individual event titles and was a member of two first-place relay teams at the Channel League Swimming Championships last week at Buena. Nguyen won the 500 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and was part of the 200 individual medley and 400 free relay squads, which both set CIF automatic qualifying times.

Her performances helped DP win the girls team title.

Nguyen has met the CIF qualifying standard in her individual events. Her league finals mark of 56.95 in the 100 fly was a season best.

Seemann spent a lot time on the tennis court and came away with a Southern California Regional singles championship. He also reached the doubles semifinals with partner Joshua Crisp-Jones.

Seemann, a freshman from Santa Ynez High, was seeded sixth in the 40-player singles draw. He knocked off No. 12 Ales Modry of Saddleback 6-1, 6-0, in the semifinals and beat No. 4 Parker Kelley of College of the Desert 6-1, 6-4, for the title.

He and Crisp-Jones move on to the State Tournament in San Diego this weekend.

Westmont's Coby Cress

It wasn’t just the baseball skills that convinced Westmont coach Robert Ruiz to recruit Coby Cress to the Montecito campus three years ago.

Ruiz saw great leadership skills in the transfer from Arizona State; he saw Cress as the type of player who could help him change the culture of the Westmont baseball program.

“He’s been a huge contributor since he’s been here,” said Ruiz at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon “He’s been a three-year captain; beyond that, probably the most notable thing is his leadership.”

The senior captain helped the Warriors reach the postseason for the first time in 15 years.

“Coby was my first recruit three years ago and I was pumping him on the leadership I thought he was going to bring to this program,” Ruiz said. “At the time, I didn’t know how much influence he would have on what we’re attempting to do here.”

Cress also made a big impact in the classroom. He graduated on Saturday with a 3.95 grade point average in economics.

Cress on Monday was honored as the SBART’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year from Westmont.

His academic honors include CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-American, NAIA Scholar Athlete, two-time GSAC Scholar Athlete, two-time Westmont Golden Eagle Award winner, outstanding senior in business and economics, Landmark Global Scholarship recipient.

“He’s been phenomenal student, baseball player and a great leader. We’re going to miss him and his accomplishments,” said Ruiz.

He added, “It’s bittersweet because we feel bad to lose a guy like this, but he’s left his mark. There’s a legacy in our program that what Westmont represents is different today than it was three years ago when we got here.”

Speaking at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon, Smelley said he was about 200 meters from the finish of the women’s 800 final when Theresa Nealon was coming up on the shoulder of the second-place runner. Based on past performances, he figured she’d play it safe and try to out-kick her on the straightaway.

But Smelley had other ideas.

“Go now, go now, go now,” he shouted at Nealon. “And she did. She hadn’t always done that.”

Nealon wound up finishing second behind teammate Kate Stuart, ran a personal best by 2.5 seconds, achieved a provisional qualifying mark for the NAIA Nationals and would have broken the school record except Stuart broke it two seconds ahead of her.

After the race Nealon told Smelley that when he yelled go now, her response was, “ ‘OK, coach, whatever you say.’ That’s what you want to hear, but it takes a long time to develop (that trust),” the coach explained. “It’s nice to have that trust and see her have the confidence to do it for herself, and see her come up to me excited about what she did, not needing me to say, ‘You did good.’ ”

It was a big weekend for local track teams.

SBCC coach Scott Fickerson said 19 of his athletes (10 men, 9 women) qualified for the Southern California Prelims in San Diego at last weekend’s WSC Championships.

“That’s the most I’ve had in my tenure,” said Fickerson, who is in his fourth year. “Each year we’ve gotten more and more athletes qualified, so we’re moving in the right direction. Seventeen of the 19 qualified with season or lifetime bests, which is nice.”

Fickerson added that many of the qualifiers are from the local high schools.

“The program historically has had a lot of athletes from the Bay Area, down in Orange County, and quite a few international students as well. It’s pretty cool to have a really big group of local athletes, particularly local athletes that have been very successful.”

At UCSB, assistant coach Robert Beamer said the Gauchos swept Cal Poly for the first time in five years. He singled out multi-event standout Barbara Nwaba, who won the 100 hurdles, high jump and javelin.

“We’re lucky to have her on the roster,” he said. “We look forward to her scoring at the Big West Championships.”

High school track teams are preparing for their league championship meets this week.

Nicole Poindexter of Bishop Diego will going for three-peats in the 100, 200 and long jump at the Frontier League meet, reported Athletic Director Dan Peeters.

Joe Salcedo also will be a strong contender in the discus and shot put. Peeters said the sophomore as set personal bests in every meet.

Marilyn Hantgin of San Marcos introduced high jumper Charlotte Garratt of the girls track team and middle distance runner Cameron Cruikshank, throwers Reggie Gruber and Michael Orosco of the boys team.

Leslie Wiggins Roth of Dos Pueblos said sprinters Zach Briones and Marshall Moua and hurdler Kyle Cordes have been keys to the success of the Charger boys squad.

The Royals and Chargers will be at the Channel League Championships at Buena on Friday.

Carpinteria athletic director Pat Cooney brought thrower Juan Jimenez and Kailinda Moreno, both of whom have improved their PRs in the shot put in recent meets. The Warriors will host the Tri-Valley League Championships this week and the CIF Division 4 Prelims next week.

Dos Pueblos swim coach Kevin Kuga said the Chargers were gearing up for the Channel League Finals. He introduced Nick Lum, Vincent Dodero and Alex Valente of the boys swim team. Valente, who swam the fastest 100 butterfly in the nation for a 14 year old in a dual meet against Buena, also swam the fastest 100-meter fly and second fast 200m fly for his age group at a long distance meet.

From his girls team, Kuga brought Shannon Cleary and Hailey Goodner. Goodner has been sidelined with an elbow injury but she should be back for the league finals, said Kuga.

UCSB softball assistant Christine Ramos introduced senior pitcher Krista Cobb, who will be honored at Senior Day this weekend when the Gauchos host Cal Poly. Ramos noted that Cobb suffered a career-ending arm injury but she’s continued to help her teammates, especially freshman pitcher Shelby Wisdom.

“We wouldn’t have the success we’ve had without the help of Krista,” said Ramos.

Dos Pueblos softball coach Lee Harris singled out two key players for the Chargers: shortstop Chloe Madill and catcher Haley Peterson. Madill scored on a squeeze bunt by Peterson for the winning run against defending CIF Division 2 champion Camarillo last week.

“With those two players, our future his bright,” Harris said.

He also brought his daughter and standout pitcher Hannah Harris. She has the lowest ERA in the CIF-Southern Section at 0.36, which ranks second in the state and 17th in the nation, according to MaxPreps.

San Marcos softball coach Jeff Swann introduced Sandra Lopez, Stephanie Swann and Emily Dietz. He said Swann and Dietz supply most of the offense for the Royals, who have a huge game against Ventura on Wednesday. They’re in a battle for third place in the league.

Lissette Jaramillo and Alicia Juarez are new to the Carpinteria softball team, and Cooney, speaking for coach Henry Gonzalez, said both have worked extremely hard to improve. Both girls will be the first members of their families to attend college.

The Warriors are 6-0 in the Frontier League.

SBCC won five in a row and 11 of their last 13 to earn a spot in the Southern California Regionals for the second straight year, sports information specialist Dave Loveton reported. The Vaqueros will play at top-seeded Canyons on Saturday.

In baseball, Westmont and City College earned postseason berths. The Warriors travel to face top-seeded Azusa Pacific in the double-elimination GSAC Tournament, while the Vaqueros host Canyons in a So Cal Regional game at Pershing Park on Tuesday.

SBCC won its last five games to capture its second straight WSC championship.

Mitch Crocker was huge for Westmont in its final regular-season series with Vanguard. He earned two wins in relief and pitched a complete game victory in the playoff-clinching finale.

“He told the coach he wanted the ball,” said sports information director Ron Smith about Crocker’s demand to pitch the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

UCSB assistant Zach Etheredge reported that Brett Vertigan was named Big West Player of the Week for the second time this season and he has reached base safely in every game this season. Also, freshman pitcher Andrew Vasquez has been named to the national pitcher of the year watch list. He has a Big West-leading 1.79 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Santa Barbara High assistant George Rempe said the Dons play two must-win games with Ventura this week. “If we can win both, then our hopes of making CIF for the 14th straight year would still be alive.” said Rempe, who added that they also need a little help. “At this point, it’s a longshot, but it’s still within our grasp.”

Rempe introduced Evan Smith, Jack Kaiser, Alex Churchill and Peter Chacones.

Cooney said his team is still splitting with its opponents. The Warriors are 9-9 and 4-4 in the Tri-Valley League.

“We’re looking to continue that against Oaks Christian in a David vs. Goliath battle,” he said. “We need to split to keep our playoff hopes alive.”

Cooney brought Jacob Barbere and Max Damron to the press luncheon.

Dos Pueblos assistant Jon Ramsdell introduced Dane Short, Anthony Sassola and Michael McCann.

The Chargers play a crucial series against second-place Buena this week.

“We’re in first place in league going into the final stretch,” Ramsdell said. “We’re in the driver’s seat and that’s all we can ask for at this point.”

Dos Pueblos' Hannah Harris

Dos Pueblos' Alex Valente

Two Dos Pueblos athletes put on dominating performances to earn Athlete of the Week honors at Monday’s Santa Barbara Round Table press luncheon.

Male award winner Alex Valente swam a blistering 100-yard butterfly and also won the 100-yard backstroke to help the Chargers defeat Buena and finish the Channel League dual meet season undefeated.

Softball pitcher Hannah Harris was the female award recipient after throwing three shutouts last week, including two against defending CIF division champions.

The Fresno State-bound Harris started her week by throwing a seven-inning no-hitter against Santa Barbara in a Channel League game. She followed that with a 1-0 shutout against defending CIF Division 2 champion Camarillo and blanked defending Division 5 champion La Cañada 1-0 in the semifinals at the Thousand Oaks Tournament. Harris also contributed with the bat, batting .545 with an on-base percentage of .736.

Valente clocked the fastest 100 butterfly time in the nation (50.74) for a 14 year old in winning the event against Buena. In the 100 back, he finished first with a time of 55.01

UCSB's Chris Peterson

Longtime UCSB swimming coach Gregg Wilson put it best when describing Chris Peterson, the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table’s Scholar Athlete of the Year from the university.

Said Wilson at Monday’s SBART press luncheon: “Chris is the standard our program has set, not just in the pool but in the classroom. He’s a great example of what you can do if you really focus.”

It’s easy to see why Peterson is considered the model of a student athlete at UCSB. He’s had a highly successful swimming career that’s included breaking the school records of Olympic gold medalist Jason Lezak in the 100 and 50 freestyle, earning a medal at the Pac-12 Championships (third in the 100 free) and qualifying for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Among his accolades as a student: he carries a 3.51 grade point average as a mechanical engineering major; he’s made the engineering dean’s honor roll four times; received the UCSB Golden Eagle Award for academic and athletic achievement and has been named to the all conference All-Academic First Team two years in a row.

Peterson’s intelligence and focus in his field of study helped him develop a two-staged deployable arm boom for Northrop Grumman aerospace.

His future plans include pursing an Olympic dream and a career in the aerospace industry.

Peterson thanked the Athletic Round Table for its strong support of student athletes like himself.

“You guys are like a home away from home,” he said. “It’s nice to have a group of people that support athletics, especially for those of us who come from other places in California and around the nation.”