Round Table Luncheon: Asher Smith Honored as Carpinteria High’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year

A pair of individual awards were handed out and the high school winter sports previewed their final week of regular season play at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon.

The luncheon, held at Harry’s Plaza Cafe, was hosted by Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse.

Carpinteria High Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Water polo and swimming standout Asher Smith was honored as Carpinteria’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his achievements in the pool and in the classroom.

Academically, Smith boasts a 4.4 GPA and is a committed member of the school’s ASB. He plans to attend Loyola Marymount University in the fall, where he will major in civil engineering and continue his water polo career.

“We are very proud of his performance in and out of the classroom,” Carpinteria water polo coach Karl Fredrickson said. “(He has) incredible commitment to character and community.

“Carpinteria is one little dot on the map but Asher has made that little dot on the map known to a lot of people and a lot of places around the country.”

Smith has racked up achievements as a Warrior, leading the way for four straight Citrus Coast league titles while winning three league MVPs along the way.

As a team captain, he has also helped the program make the jump from the Div. 5 level to the Div. 2 level over the last four years.

“The accolades and the awards and everything recognize his accomplishments in the pool physically, but what he brings to the program is something else,” Carpinteria water polo coach Jon Otsuki said.

“He’s got great leadership abilities, he speaks out to the team when appropriate… he’s super respectful to coaches and teammates.”

Smith joins Cate’s Sebastian Sutch, Dos Pueblos’ Jaden Moore, San Marcos’ Matthew Chung and Santa Barbara’s Andreas Dybdahl as this year’s recipients of the award.

The honor is sponsored by Marc Gamberdella of the Gamberdella-Spruill Group of Merrill Lynch.

Special Olympics Athlete of the Month

The Special Olympics honored Scotty Ryker as their Athlete of the Month for January.

Scotty Ryker poses with his award and with Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse, who guest-hosted Monday’s luncheon. (Diego Sandoval / Noozhawk Photo)

Ryker earned the honor for his excellence in the sport of floorball, especially in a Kern County Tournament last weekend, leading his team in blocked shots and takeaways.

“Scotty is an amazing athlete,” Special Olympics coach Jaime Rutiaga said. “He led all of his teammates in defensive prowess.”

The Special Olympics Athlete of the Month is sponsored by Jim Callahan of Compass Real Estate.