The first Scholar-Athlete of the Year award was presented and local fall sports teams provided updates on their seasons at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon on Monday at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
Dos Pueblos’ Elliot McGuire was honored for his achievements on and off the track as the fall sports teams reach the most important stage of their year.
Elliot McGuire Honored as Scholar-Athlete of the Year
McGuire has been one of the top student-athletes on campus for the Chargers, and he was named this year’s recipient of the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award as a result.
The senior is a captain of the Dos Pueblos track & field squad, helping teach the jump team while also competing at a high level himself in the triple jump.
McGuire finished second in the Channel League in the triple jump with a mark of 42-6.25, and currently holds the third-highest triple jump distance in Dos Pueblos history. He thanked head coach David Jackson and coach Troy, the jumping coach, for their help along the way.
“[Jackson] is always a sort of positive energy for me, and I really love that about him,” McGuire said. “[Troy] is one of the most constructive and helpful people I’ve ever met in my life. Honestly, I would never be the same without him.”
While his athletic achievements are impressive, his academic feats may be even more impressive. He currently boasts a staggering 4.94 GPA and is on pace to graduate from Santa Barbara City College through dual enrollment by the end of his senior year of high school.
He is also the Strategy Lead for a team ranked in the top 5% globally for FIRST Robotics Competitions. His interest in math and science extends to his participation on a Mathematics Team that has won several competitions, including the Mathematics Field Day at Westmont College.
Outside of the classroom and track, McGuire has served over 200 hours tutoring students for Biology, Chemistry, Physics and the SAT. He is the President of the Anti-Vaping and Toki Pona Clubs at Dos Pueblos.
McGuire thanked his science teachers and family as he accepted the award, and left the room with a heartfelt story about his friend and teammate Michael Ochsner, who passed away earlier this year.
“Michael Ochsner really demonstrated to me someone who told me that I could be confident in myself,” McGuire said. “I needed to thank Michael Ochsner, even though he’s no longer here, because he meant so much to me and he just represented how great the DP community is.
“I couldn’t be happier to be part of this community, and thank you so much for the honor of this award.”
McGuire is the first of 11 Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the 2025-26 school year. The award is sponsored by Marc Gamberdella of the Gamberdella-Spruill Group of Merrill Lynch.
Fall Playoff Races Heating Up
With the calendar turning over to October, the majority of the high school fall sports schedules have entered the final stretch of the regular season.
As a result, many of the local squads have focused their attention on securing a spot in the postseason with the goal of a CIF-SS title on their mind.
With three games to go in the Channel League girls volleyball schedule, San Marcos has already clinched its spot in the playoffs thanks to its perfect 11-0 league mark.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara High is set to receive a spot in the playoffs as well, as it sits at 8-3 and in third place. Dos Pueblos is on the outside looking in, but has a shot to move up to fourth place and earn an automatic berth. The Chargers (4-7) are one game behind fourth-place Oxnard.
San Marcos and Santa Barbara High are set to clash for a crosstown rivalry matchup on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. inside the Thunderhut. The Royals pulled out a five-set win in their previous meeting.
“That’ll be a fun rematch over there at their place,” Santa Barbara High head coach Kristin Hempy said. “It’s really flying by here and we are looking ahead to playoffs already, so I’m excited for all this to come and finishing up league strong.”
The Tri-Valley League girls volleyball race is also one to watch, with two local teams leading the way.
Bishop Diego (15-10, 5-1 TVL) and Cate (8-5, 4-2 TVL) are the top two teams in their league with two matchups remaining. The two sides split their matches against each other this season.
In the pool, the Channel League boys water polo schedule has four games remaining for each of the local teams, including a critical showdown on Thursday.
Traditional water polo powerhouses Dos Pueblos and San Marcos are currently 2-0 in league action and will face off on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. on San Marcos’ pool deck.
The two teams matched up earlier this season at the Santa Barbara Invitational, and the Chargers pulled out a 9-8 win against the defending league champion Royals.
The Channel League flag football home stretch is a two-horse race, as San Marcos and Dos Pueblos are knotted atop the standings at 10-1 with three league games remaining. If the two teams win out, they will face off in a winner-take-all game for the league title.
Student-Athletes in Attendance
Dos Pueblos Track & Field: Elliot McGuire
San Marcos Flag Football: Maya Llewellyn, Scarlett Holian
Santa Barbara High Football: Ben Medina, Ethan Hass
Santa Barbara High Boys Water Polo: Lorenzo Russell, Paolo Borgioli
Carpinteria High Football: Ramces Romero, Gio Martinez
Carpinteria High Girls Volleyball: Kimberly Dominguez, Crystal Hechavarria
Carpinteria High Boys Water Polo: Sam Medel, Micah Smith
Carpinteria High Girls Golf: Laureen Partida, Gaby Cruz
Bishop Diego Girls Golf: Malina De La Rocha, Wylder Gordon
Bishop Diego Flag Football: Kacey Seashore, Dulce Ledezma
Santa Barbara High Girls Volleyball: Stella Peus, Lola Heckman
San Marcos Girls Golf: Hadley Schmidt, Karenna Saleh
San Marcos Football: Evan Barba, Chris Martinez
Dos Pueblos Flag Football: Taylor Grant, Esme Mazurkiewicz
Dos Pueblos Football: Callan Lee, Marcus Carbajal, Iyad Ahmad-Reda
Laguna Blanca Girls Volleyball: Ginger Finney, Sage Holcombe
Bishop Diego Girls Volleyball: Natalie Chan, Kate Douglas
Bishop Diego Football: Sebastian Garcia, Aiden Garcia
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