Laguna Blanca’s Gabriel Lea headlined a packed Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe on Monday.
Lea was honored as the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year while a crop of spring sports teams provided updates as they either march along with league play or begin league action in the coming weeks.
Gabriel Lea Named Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Lea was a star on the football field for the Owls in 2023, as he was named to the All-Frontier League First Team and signed to play at Claremont McKenna College in the coming fall.
He also was a standout for the Laguna Blanca soccer team and earned the title of Frontier League Defensive MVP.
However, Lea is just as impressive in the classroom, maintaining a 4.4 GPA while juggling several AP and honors classes.
On top of this, he has been a member of the Laguna Blanca Honor Roll all four years of high school and devotes many hours to volunteering within the community.
“I am honored to receive this award and I want to extend my gratitude to Mr. Gamberdella and the entire Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table for providing a platform that celebrates student-athletes who excel both on the field and in the classroom,” Lea said.
“Additionally I want to extend my sincerest thank you to Mr. Steinhaus, our Laguna Blanca Athletic Director for his unwavering support and guidance throughout my high school career.
“This recognition not only highlights my dedication to sports and academics but also underscores the collective effort of those who have inspired and motivated me throughout the way.”
Lea joins Cate’s Sebastian Sutch, Dos Pueblos’ Jaden Moore, San Marcos’ Matthew Chung, Santa Barbara’s Andreas Dybdahl, Carpinteria’s Asher Smith, Bishop Diego’s Abigail Garcia and Providence’s Teleios Zermeno as this year’s recipients of the award.
The honor is sponsored by Marc Gamberdella of the Gamberdella-Spruill Group of Merrill Lynch.
Busy Week Ahead
With spring sports now in full swing, there are plenty of local rivalry games this week. Here are the biggest games to look out for.
Monday
- Dos Pueblos @ San Marcos Softball, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday
- Santa Barbara @ Dos Pueblos Softball, 3:30 p.m.
- Dos Pueblos @ Santa Barbara Baseball, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday
- Laguna Blanca @ Bishop Diego Boys Volleyball, 6 p.m.
- Dos Pueblos @ Santa Barbara Boys Volleyball, 6:30 p.m.
- Dos Pueblos @ San Marcos Boys Tennis, 3 p.m.
Friday
- Santa Barbara @ Dos Pueblos Baseball, 3:30 p.m.
- Dos Pueblos @ Santa Barbara Softball, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday
- Dos Pueblos Boys Volleyball Invitational @ UCSB’s Thunderdome, 8 a.m.
Student-athletes in attendance
Laguna Blanca Football: Gabriel Lea
SBCC Women’s Basketball: Lily Mires, Leila Chisholm
San Marcos Boys Volleyball: Ryan Taylor, Charlie Magid, Declan McClintock
San Marcos Baseball: Alexi Stegner, Mason Crang
Santa Barbara Beach Volleyball: Stella Borgioli
San Marcos Boys Swim: Jacob Angel, Nolan Clark
San Marcos Softball: Kamilah Morales, Lucy Dessert
Laguna Blanca Boys Volleyball: Tyson Deveze, Liam Knezevic
Santa Barbara Softball: Amanda Holguin, Olivia Ressler
Santa Barbara Boys Volleyball: Chase Holdren, Will Harman, Raglan Kear
Bishop Diego Swim: Tierney Clark
Bishop Diego Softball: Tara Gregson, Madeline Ferries, Chelsea Hayes
Dos Pueblos Softball: Anastasia Brunner, Kacey Hurley
Dos Pueblos Baseball: Jesse Di Maggio, Sasha Holmes
Laguna Blanca Swim: Ikai Fang
Santa Barbara Track & Field: Elina Stump
San Marcos Girls Beach Volleyball: Kaylin Cooney, Paige Hoadley
SBCC Softball: Mia Reveles, Gracie Verdugo
Dos Pueblos Swim: Liam Young, Andrew Kline-Fernandez, Natalie Murray, Kay Taylor-Ng
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