The first individual award of the year was handed out, and local football, flag football and cross country coaches provided season updates at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
Santa Barbara High presented the first Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award of the Year to junior standout Elina Stump to kick off a week full of crosstown rivalry showdowns.
A link to a full livestream of the luncheon, including coach reports, will be added to the story as soon as it becomes available.
Elina Stump Earns Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award
Stump has been one of the top student-athletes on campus during her time as a Don, and she was rewarded as the school’s Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award winner.
As it states on the SBART website, “This award acknowledges student-athletes who value and incorporate into their daily lives, the following qualities: accountability, respect of teammates, opponents, and officials, honesty, positive attitude, reliability, loyalty, sportsmanship, others above self, and team above personal interest.”
“I’m so blessed to be receiving this award,” Stump said. “As I was learning about Phil Womble and the legacy that he created, one thing that really stuck out to me was how he created an impact in his absence. His name brings so much joy to so many people in this community, and his determination to help so many still carries a weight to this day.
“It’s one thing to win games and get medals and everything, but a different kind of respect is earned when an athlete is a figure of support and comfort through the community.”
The junior has shined on the track & field team for the past two seasons and is in the midst of a breakout flag football campaign as one of the team’s top playmakers.
“It’s a joy every day (to coach her),” SB flag football coach Travis Mañach said. “With what she brings to a team and a classroom, this is so well deserved.”
On the track, she was named the SBART Track & Field Athlete of the Year for her sophomore season after she captured the Div. 2 title in the long jump and runner-up finishes in the triple jump and 100 hurdles.
“I got to know Phil when I was a student-athlete at UCSB, and he’s just an amazing man and I can’t think of a more deserving person to get that award,” SB track & field coach Olivia Perdices said.
While her athletic achievements are as impressive as they get, Stump also boasts a 4.78 GPA and serves as the President of the National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation on campus.
She is also the ASB Athletics Commissioner and has accumulated over 125 hours of community service while volunteering at Girls Inc. in its gymnastics program.
“It’s an absolute honor to bestow this award upon Elina,” SB athletic director Todd Heil said. “I’ve always felt this award is about what those athletes do when people aren’t watching… It’s about the little things that don’t always get seen, but they’re seen by us, by the coaches that know.”
“She’s an incredible individual… The sky is the limit for her on what she’s going to accomplish as an athlete and as an individual. I can’t wait to see what she does still with her junior year and her senior year.”
Stump is the first of eight Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award winners for this school year. The award is sponsored by Dave Pintard of the Pintard Group.
“I feel so privileged to be able to say that I do flag football and track, and I can only hope that I’m able to leave my own impact on the school and community,” Stump said. “Waking up early from morning practice, staying up late for games, spending my weekends and vacation time with the team, all of this is such a privilege. I’m so grateful to have had all these opportunities.
“I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible people that have supported me in so, so many ways, so that I’m able to be up here today.”
65th Annual Big Game Set for Friday
Historic crosstown rivals Santa Barbara High and San Marcos are set to clash for their annual football rivalry matchup this Friday at Peabody Stadium at 7 p.m.
The Dons currently hold a 39-24-1 all-time record in the matchup following last season’s 20-20 tie at Warkentin Stadium.
Santa Barbara enters the game with a non-league record of 2-2 with victories over Camarillo and Dos Pueblos and losses to Moorpark and Corona Del Mar.
Sophomore Griffin Arnold has been under center for all four games and has been forced to shoulder more of the offensive load as of late due to injuries at the running back position.
Meanwhile, the Royals are 1-3 on the season with their lone victory coming over Del Sol and losses at the hands of Paraclete, Santa Ynez and Buena.
San Marcos has leaned heavily on the running back tandem of Cole Dominguez and Brody Green, who combined for 383 rushing yards in last week’s overtime loss to Buena.
“This is a great opportunity for us to play a good football team, and get ready for the Tri-County League Opener in a couple of weeks,” SM football head coach Ralph Molina said.
While the Dons may have the advantage, ranked No. 67 in the CIF Southern Section compared to San Marcos’ ranking of 219 (per MaxPreps), last year showed that anything can happen in the Big Game.
“We expect 3,000 fans, and we’re just really excited,” SB football head coach Nate Mendoza said. “We’re really excited to get out there, and I can’t wait for 7 o’clock Friday night. I can’t believe we have to wait that long, but we’re going to have a great week of preparation.”
More Rivalry Games Ahead
While the Big Game is the most hyped-up crosstown game of the week, there are quite a few rivalry matchups throughout the week for locals to watch.
In the pool, Santa Barbara High (4-7) will head over to San Marcos (5-6) for a boys water polo matchup on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. It is the Channel League opener for both teams.
Thursday is a busy day of rivalry games, headlined by a girls volleyball battle between Dos Pueblos (2-13, 2-3 CL) and Santa Barbara High (7-9, 3-2 CL) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. inside J.R. Richards Gym.
At the same time on Thursday, Santa Barbara (4-7, 1-4 CL) will head out to the Goodland to take on highly-ranked Dos Pueblos (14-1, 5-0 CL) in a flag football game.
On Thursday afternoon, San Marcos girls tennis will roll out the welcome mats for Dos Pueblos in a battle of two of the top teams in the area at 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, Dos Pueblos is set to host San Marcos for a girls golf match at Glen Annie Golf Course at 2:30 p.m.
At the collegiate level, UCSB Women’s Soccer will host Cal Poly (2-0-7) for the annual Blue-Green Rivalry matchup on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Harder Stadium. The Gauchos are 7-1-1 and have won six straight games.
Student-Athletes in Attendance
Santa Barbara High Track & Field/Flag Football: Elina Stump
Santa Barbara City College Football: Jackson McPeak
San Marcos Football: Cole Dominguez, Brody Green, Arian Botello
Dos Pueblos Flag Football: Lucia Riley, Aleyah Llamas
Dos Pueblos Football: Grady Felix, David Philips
Carpinteria High Football: Chris Jaimes, Erasmo Frausto
Carpinteria High Cross Country: Max Soto, Jacqueline Guadian
Santa Barbara High Football: Malachi Johnston, Lucas Blessing
Santa Barbara High Flag Football: Shea Gannon, Rosie Dionicio
Santa Barbara High Girls Golf: Sage Malmsten, Kaya Ziets
Santa Barbara High Cross Country: Itzel Rayos Jimenez, Andrew Diaz, Ethan Walp
San Marcos Flag Football: Riley Cook, Mia Richmond
Dos Pueblos Girls Golf: Dani Hickman, Angelia Pagliaro
Dos Pueblos Cross Country: Gwen Shea, Isla Herick, Owen Woods, Quentin Holland
San Marcos Girls Golf: Mia Rocha, Simrin Singh, Chloe Bellamy
San Marcos Cross Country: Walker Gregorio, Diego Rodriguez, Samara Shalhoub, Jane Demmin
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