Top-seeded girls tennis team wins its playoff opener
On Oct. 29, the Santa Ynez High girls golf team successfully defended its CIF Central Section Division 2 title in Visalia at the par-73 Valley Oaks Golf Course.
The Pirates beat runner up Atascadero by five shots, shooting a team score of 483. Cabrillo (522) and Lompoc (523) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Senior Mackenzie Phelan led the Pirates with an 87. Phelan, Katherine Becerra and Sierra Freedman (who both shot 95) all had top 10 finishes in the Division 2 tournament. Other Pirates in the tournament included Addison West (96), Savannah Hudley (110), and Kacy Caplan (112).
“We expect Mackenzie Phelan to advance to the Section Championship; this will be finalized after today’s D3 tournament,” said SYHS golf coach Sara Ovadia. “Players that shoot 91 or lower and finish in the top 25 of players from the D2/area/D3 tournaments advance as Individuals to the Section Championship Monday in Fresno at San Joaquin Country Club where the D1 teams will compete for a D1 title and the other players will compete for a chance to advance to the SoCal Regional tournament.”
The win gives Santa Ynez back-to-back girls golf titles. Combined with the boys golf team, also coached by Ovadia and having won two straight CIF Central Section titles, give the SYHS golf program four straight CIF titles.
SYHS girls tennis wins playoff opener
The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team, the top seed in the CIF Central Section Division II, swept Righetti 9-0 in their first-round matchup.
All the Pirates’ single players won in straight sets, with Danielle Hyland putting a double goose egg on her opponent, winning 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5, while Natalie O’Shaughnessy (6-0, 6-1 at No. 4) and Haley Townes (6-1, 6-1 at No. 2) also had impressive wins.
The doubles team were also impressive as Keegan Withrow/Haley Townes won 8-1 at No. 1, Kate Mazza/Natalie O’Shaughnessy won 8-2 at No. 2, and Claire Tipich/Ainsley Haws won 8-2 at No. 3.
With the win, the Pirates earned a second-round matchup with Justin Garza High of Fresno, which happened last Thursday after press time. If they got past that match, they’ll play today against the winner of Garces Memorial and Bakersfield.
Cross Country competes at Mt. SAC Invitational
Some Santa Ynez cross country runners took part in the Mt. SAC Cross-Country Invitational at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Oct. 25 and 26.
Brooke Phelan was the standout for SYHS at the event, according to cross country coach Gary Semerdjian.
“Brooke was leading the first part of the race and held on to second place at the end, out of 123 runners in her Varsity group,” Semerdjian said. “We have a strong team for a small school.”
“Dimitri Nicolaou, a first-year freshman runner, scored big with a fourth-place finish,” the coach continued. “Alex Sutherland finished eight. Gavin Babcock scored 27th, and Mateo Sotelo scored 34th out of 126 runners. Varsity boys Josue Salinas placed 12th out of 193 runners.
“Ilan Torres came in at 129th, and Gael Torres finished 137th. Sophomore Adam Lett came in at 19th place, and Gabriel Silva came in at 41st place out of 195 runners.”
The cross country team will next compete in the Ocean League finals this Saturday at 2 p.m.
Pirates athletes get CIF championship rings
Three Santa Ynez High athletes were awarded rings to represent their invidual CIF championships during a lunchtime ceremony on campus Oct. 11.
One of those athletes, Malia Ortiz, was awarded twice, winning last year in wrestling (110 pounds) and the pole vault in track and field.
Also, being honored was Santino Alvaro, who won his CIF title in wrestling (128 pounds).
Not present at the ceremony was Vince Casey, who won his titles in the long jump, and as a member of the Pirates’ 4×100 relay team. Casey graduated last June and is now a student and track and field athlete at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut.
SYHS Athletic Director Josh McClurg said that the rings were made possible by SYHS alumnus Ernie Ortiz, who got together with other alumni to raise money for the rings. McClurg said the group will continue to raise funds, so future individual CIF champs can get their rings also.
Feature image: Santa Ynez High athletes Malia Ortiz (wrestling and track and field) and Santino Alvaro (wrestling) show off the rings they received in commemoration of their respective CIF championships they won last academic year. Photo by Mike Chaldu.
