Laguna Blanca named volleyball standout Chloe Gidney the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and local winter sports teams recapped their Thanksgiving breaks and previewed a busy week ahead at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon.
The luncheon, held at Harry’s Plaza Cafe, was guest-hosted by the Gamberdella-Spruill Group at Merrill Lynch.
Chloe Gidney Named Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Gidney has excelled on the volleyball court and in the classroom during her time as an Owl, and she was rewarded for her efforts by being named the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
She is a member of both the indoor and beach volleyball teams at Laguna Blanca and serves as the captain of the indoor squad.
“Thank you so much for this award, thank you to the athletic department, Mr. Donnelly (volleyball coach) and Mr. Steinhaus (athletic director),” Gidney said after accepting the award.
In the classroom, she holds an impressive 4.26 GPA while taking several AP and honors courses on her way to the Laguna Blanca Honor Roll. She has also won the Global Leadership Connection Award and Head of School Pin.
Gidney is also an active member of the community, serving as a TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool Executive Producer, a volunteer at Flower Empower and a peer mentor.
“She is clearly someone that is a high achiever in every realm of her student life,” award sponsor Marc Gamberdella said. “It’s probably too early to say but I bet there are plenty of schools vying for her services.”
She plans on pursuing an education of either psychology or sociology in college.
Gidney is the second of 11 Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the 2024-25 school year, joining Providence’s Sarah Monroy. The award is sponsored by Marc Gamberdella of the Gamberdella-Spruill Group of Merrill Lynch.
“Doing this over the years it’s really impressive the young people that this town produces and my team and I are happy to be part of this sponsorship,” Gamberdella said.
Winter Season Ramping Up
While some local winter sports teams began their seasons before and even during Thanksgiving break, every squad is now back in action beginning this week.
In fact, some local basketball and soccer teams will kick off their league schedules in the coming days. However, most of this week will be made up of non-league matchups and tournament competition.
Many of these tournaments will be out of town, but the one held locally will be the annual Bird Cage Classic hosted by Bishop Diego girls basketball inside the Brick House.
Carpinteria High, Laguna Blanca and Bishop Diego will all compete in the tournament with Laguna Blanca and Bishop Diego squaring off on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
It’s also a big week for local girls water polo programs, beginning on Tuesday with a Channel League and crosstown showdown between San Marcos and Santa Barbara High. The game will be at 3:15 p.m. on Santa Barbara High’s campus.
Later in the week, the Royals will play host to a pair of powerhouse programs in Newport Beach and Mater Dei at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. The games will be played at Santa Barbara High.
On the pitch, Carpinteria High soccer will compete in several local rivalry matchups. The Warrior girls team will host Santa Barbara High on Monday and San Marcos on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the boys will take on Dos Pueblos in Goleta on Tuesday.
Student-Athletes in Attendance, by Order of Presentation:
Laguna Blanca Volleyball: Chloe Gidney
Santa Barbara High Boys Soccer: Barbaro Cadeña, Pietro Naciente
Dos Pueblos Boys Basketball: Coulter Jay, Shane Grant
San Marcos Boys Soccer: Jose Ramirez, Gio Sanchez
San Marcos Wrestling: Liam Fewell, Gus Cooper
San Marcos Girls Basketball: Selena Valencia Moreno, Amelyse Wong
San Marcos Girls Water Polo: Kenzie Hessell, Maxine Nocker
Santa Barbara High Girls Basketball: Leslie Marquez Bedia, Natalia Payan
Carpinteria High Girls Basketball: Jamaica Cook, Charlotte Cooney
Carpinteria High Girls Water Polo: Giulia Piccoletti, Hazel Dugre
Carpinteria High Boys Soccer: Roberto Reyes, Brennan Van Wingerden
Carpinteria High Girls Soccer: Charlotte Stoops, Natalie Gonzalez
Santa Barbara High Boys Basketball: Cayleb Miller, Diesel Lowe
Dos Pueblos Girls Soccer: Ryan Calkins, Kaley Orquiola
San Marcos Boys Basketball: Lincoln Gengo, Koji Hefner
Bishop Diego Girls Basketball: Jeisa Coronado, Jaymi Coronado
Dos Pueblos Girls Basketball: Asha Nayak, Carly Letendre
San Marcos Girls Soccer: Kenzie Hessell, Rio Chesluk, Sofia Vazquez
Hop Studios