A pair of individual awards were handed out and local spring sports teams provided updates early on in their league seasons at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
The Santa Barbara High Dons and San Marcos Royals crowned their Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award recipients, respectively, to headline the second luncheon of the month.
The weekly SBART luncheon is presented by Maho Prentice LLP, Investec and Fidelity National Title Group Santa Barbara.
Dane Polchin Named SBHS Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Polchin, a lacrosse standout at Santa Barbara High, has been a standout Don both on the field and in the classroom throughout his high school years.
He was named the Santa Barbara High Lacrosse Defensive MVP last season, helping the program to its first-ever CIF-SS playoff victory.
“I’d just like to say thank you to a couple of the people that made this possible, first to my parents for supporting me in school and in sports, and in life in general,” Polchin said. “To all the great teachers that I’ve had for making learning a fun and interesting experience.
“Also to my coaches, and frankly all of the coaches here, because without them, we wouldn’t be able to compete as athletes and do what we do.”
Polchin’s talents reach far beyond his ability on the field, as he boasts an impressive 4.81 GPA, was named an AP Scholar in 2024 and an AP Scholar with Distinction in 2025.
He is also a member of both the National Honors Society and California Scholarship Foundation, and is interested in pursuing an aerospace engineering degree from a four-year university.
Outside of school, Polchin is the principal clarinetist of both the Westmont College Orchestra and the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony.
“I’d also like to thank my current teammates for making this season the best one that I’ve had, and also give a shoutout to my co-captain, Liam Hickey, because I think he deserves this award as much as I do,” Polchin said.
“Last but not least, I’d like to thank the Athletic Round Table and Mark (Gamberdella) here, for making all this happen.”
Polchin is the seventh of 11 Scholar-Athletes of the Year for this school year, joining Dos Pueblos’ Elliot McGuire, Laguna Blanca’s Bennett Sullivan, Providence’s Annika Haugen, Bishop Diego’s Jaymi Coronado, Carpinteria High’s Vivian Huskins and San Marcos’ Rio Chesluk.
The award is sponsored by Marc Gamberdella of the Gamberdella-Spruill Group of Merrill Lynch.
Lily Ruvalcaba Wins San Marcos Phil Womble Award
Ruvalcaba has been a key member of the San Marcos girls basketball program for the past three years, and her contributions were rewarded with the school’s Phil Womble Ethics in Sports award.
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.”
She has shown improvement each year as a Royal, as she was the Most Improved Player her freshman year, the Defensive Player of the Year in her sophomore season and was named to the All-Channel League Second Team this past season.
“In every aspect of her participation, whether in practice, competition or the classroom, she embodies the true spirit of sportsmanship,” San Marcos girls basketball coach Devin Uyesaka said. “Kindness is at the core of who she is. She treats teammates, opponents, officials, and coaches with genuine respect and compassion.
“In moments of victory, she is humble and gracious. She is quick to credit her teammates and acknowledge the efforts of her competitors. In moments of defeat she is equally composed, offering encouragement to others, and gratitude for the opportunity to compete.”
Ruvalcaba holds a strong 4.66 GPA and has taken 11 AP and Dual-Enrollment SB City College classes. She has also accumulated 160 community service hours, including serving as the president of the Resource Foster Family Assistant and Support Team.
“Her kindness is not performative. It is consistent, authentic and deeply rooted in her character,” Uyesaka said.
Ruvalcaba is the seventh of eight Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award winners for this school year, joining Santa Barbara High’s Elina Stump, Dos Pueblos’ Logan Pearce, Cate’s Maddie Kollock, Providence’s Gavin Rutland, Carpinteria’s Hazel Dugre and Laguna Blanca’s Carolina Duron Angeles.
The award is sponsored by Dave Pintard of the Pintard Group.
“I would like to thank the Pintard Group in the Santa Barbara Athletic Roundtable for this award,” Ruvalcaba said. “I am honored to be up here and receiving this amazing award and representing the legacy of Phil Womble, an amazing person who didn’t let anything get in the way of what he loved to do the most.
“I can’t believe that I am the recipient of this award today. I would love to thank my parents and my coaches for always being in my corner and always picking me up when I’m down… I look forward to carrying the spirit of this award forever.”
Spring Sports Update
The Channel League baseball, softball and boys volleyball seasons are now through two weeks and many local teams find themselves atop or near the top of the standings.
On the baseball diamond, Dos Pueblos (11-1, 4-0 CL) has earned back-to-back sweeps and stands alone in first place. Meanwhile, San Marcos (4-4, 3-1 CL) is tied with Pacifica for second place and Santa Barbara High (4-4, 2-2 CL) is knotted up with Rio Mesa in fourth.
The Chargers (8-2, 4-0 CL) also sit in first place in the Channel League softball standings following two sweeps, while San Marcos (6-4, 2-2 CL) stands alone in fourth, which is the final place with an automatic berth into the CIF-SS playoffs.
The trio of local Channel League boys volleyball teams have found success early in the season, with San Marcos (12-2, 3-0 CL) and Santa Barbara High (6-3, 3-0 CL) tied for the top spot in the league. Dos Pueblos (9-5, 2-1 CL) is tied for third place after last week’s loss to the Royals.
San Marcos and Santa Barbara High are set to clash for a crosstown rivalry matchup on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. inside J.R. Richards Gym.
In the Tri-Valley League boys volleyball season, Bishop Diego’s (9-3, 3-0 TVL) undefeated start has it in sole possession of first place. Laguna Blanca (2-4, 1-1 TVL), Providence (1-3, 0-1 TVL) and Cate (0-2, 0-2 TVL) follow in second, third and fourth place, respectively.
Student-Athletes in Attendance
Santa Barbara High Boys Lacrosse: Dane Polchin
San Marcos Girls Basketball: Lily Ruvalcaba
Santa Barbara High Boys Lacrosse: Mason Bosma, Flynn Chenoweth, Raul Granados
Santa Barbara High Baseball: Emiliano Ramirez, Milo Winckler
San Marcos Girls Lacrosse: Carly Grant, Maddie Medina
Santa Barbara High Boys Tennis: Beckett McManigal, Lucas Forry
San Marcos Boys Volleyball: Owen Willer, Jamie Hetrick
Dos Pueblos Girls Lacrosse: Gracie Baker, Vivi Hanning-Yu
San Marcos Boys Lacrosse: Josue Quezada
San Marcos Boys Golf: Austin Downing, Andy Keenan
San Marcos Boys Tennis: Levi Reece, Jacob Cantrell
San Marcos Baseball: Mason Crang, Landon Johnson, Levi Monson
San Marcos Softball: Lucy Dessert, Reese Large, Isa Malarkey
Santa Barbara High Boys Volleyball: Henry Becker, Levi Zapata
Santa Barbara High Boys Golf: Logan Gankas, Jack Alzina
Dos Pueblos Boys Lacrosse: Koa Birchim, Jackson Sillers
Dos Pueblos Softball: Anastasia Brunner, Kacey Hurley, Aubrey Carreno
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