Dos Pueblos senior Asha Nayak was named the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year to headline Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
While Nayak took center stage at the top of the program, local football, cross country, tennis, water polo and volleyball teams provided updates on their busy fall seasons.
The SBART Press Luncheon is sponsored by Cottage Health, Fidelity National Title Group, Investec Real Estate and Knight Real Estate Group.
Asha Nayak Earns DP Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Nayak’s dedication to the Charger girls basketball program and commitment in the classroom led to her being selected as the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2026-27 school year.
“I want to start by thanking my coach, Andy (Casanueva). I don’t think I even fully grasp how lucky I am to play for you and Sadie (Subject). You put so much into us. You put like 200% into us and you make me a better student and a better person and a better athlete. I’m just so grateful for you,” Nayak said.
She has been a critical piece of the Dos Pueblos girls basketball program for her entire high school career, including serving as a three-year team captain.
The senior is coming off an All-Channel League Second Team campaign and has been a part of some historic moments as a Charger, including setting program records in most points in a half by a team, mostly points in a quarter by a team and most three-pointers in a game by a team.
“To my teammates, I don’t know if I can say you guys make me a better student, but you definitely make me a better athlete. Seriously, they make it totally worth it and are my best friends,” Nayak said. “My coach always tells me that in 10 years, you’re not going to remember if you won or lost, but you’ll remember laughing in the van, and thankfully, there are a lot of laughs to remember.”
In the classroom, Nayak sports an impressive 4.87 GPA while taking courses such as AP Literature and AP Environmental Science. She is a member of the DP Engineering Academy and is a National Merit Commended Scholar.
“To my parents who have always supported me, whether it’s long drives to tournaments in LA or tutoring me for calculus tests I didn’t understand, and everything in between, you guys are the reason I’m here today,” Nayak said.
“Of course, I also have to thank my brothers because the feeling of being dunked on in my driveway definitely gives me the competitive spirit that drives me both on the court and in the classroom.”
Nayak is the second of 11 Scholar-Athletes of the Year for this school year, joining Cate’s Fiona Pan. The award is sponsored by Marc Gamberdella of the Gamberdella-Spruill Group of Merrill Lynch.
“I want to thank Sienna Van Alphen and Bill Woodard for recognizing me for this award, and to the people at SB Round table for putting this together,” Nayak said.
SBCC Football Coming Off Season-Best Showing
While the 0-8 Vaqueros failed to get into the win column last Saturday, they put together their best performance of the season in a 35-28 loss to North County rival Allan Hancock.
In fact, SBCC held the lead for the entire second half until the Bulldogs scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:31 to play in the fourth quarter. The Vaqueros couldn’t answer with a game-tying or winning drive, resulting in the loss.
“[Allan Hancock] tries to bully you. They try to run it right down your throat, and when they’re tired of running down their throat, they run it down your throat again. That’s what they do,” SBCC head coach Craig Moropoulos said. “Our defensive coordinator, Mike Arellano, did a great job getting our guys ready on defense for it, and they did a great job.”
The Bishop Diego alumni duo of Tua Rojas and Oscar Anoai, who are both freshmen at SBCC, saw plenty of action on the offensive side of the ball on Saturday.
Rojas completed 21-of-34 passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while Anoai took 17 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, fellow Bishop Diego graduate Dominic Herrera shined on the defensive end with two sacks, a forced fumble and five total tackles.
The Bishop Diego trio and SBCC will host Citrus on Saturday at 6 p.m. at La Playa Field for the team’s last home game of the season.
“When you’re struggling to win, even though we’re playing against top-level competition, you’ve got to teach your guys how to win,” Moropoulos said. “You can’t rest, you can’t go easy. You’ve got to keep pushing it.
“We’re going to find that out, and that’s what we’ll keep enforcing with our guys, but super proud of our guys on Saturday.”
Santa Barbara, Dos Pueblos Volleyball Headed to Quarterfinals
The Santa Barbara High and Dos Pueblos girls volleyball teams kept their seasons alive last week with two victories apiece to begin the CIF-SS playoffs.
The Dons will now host Hemet on Tuesday at 5 p.m. inside J.R. Richards Gym for the CIF-SS Div. 4 Quarterfinals. It will be Santa Barbara High’s third straight playoff game in its home gym.
The Chargers will hit the road for the first time this postseason on Tuesday, heading down to Orange County to take on Villa Park in the CIF-SS Div. 6 Quarterfinals.
Student-Athletes in Attendance
Dos Pueblos Girls Basketball: Asha Nayek
San Marcos Cross Country: Drew Vogel, August Singer, Everett Young
San Marcos Girls Tennis: Amelia Leonardi, Keira Shaffer
SBCC Football: Dominic Herrera, Aidan Woods
Dos Pueblos Girls Tennis: Zella Cassidy, Atria Husein
Santa Barbara High Football: Ben Media, Cade Mault, Tennyson Birkley
Dos Pueblos Football: Max Hernandez, Patrick Sullivan
Dos Pueblos Girls Volleyball: Faith Harrison, Char Welch
Dos Pueblos Cross Country: Ian McMurtry, Russell Hughes, Madelyn Rice
Carpinteria High Boys Water Polo: Oscar De Leon, Stefano Picoletti
Carpinteria High Cross Country: Stasie Miranda Lara, Liam Killen
Carpinteria High Football: Ramces Romero
Bishop Diego Girls Tennis: Victoria Heredia, Annabelle Liu
Bishop Diego Football: Joel Sanchez, Gabe Phillips
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