Athlete of the Week Articles

Solvang native Will Rodgers was inducted on May 15 into the NASCAR Next class of 2018-2019, a program that spotlights the best and brightest young drivers in NASCAR racing. Rodgers, 23, won his first and second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East events—Watkins Glen and New Jersey Motorsports Park—in 2017, according to Matt Humphrey of NASCAR’s […]

After four years of varsity wrestling at Pioneer Valley High School, senior Gabriela Rivas plans to continue her career at Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa, next fall. Rivas, who hopes to study education and English in college, earned several league honors throughout her time at Pioneer Valley, and helped her wrestling team win various […]

St. Joseph High School freshman Darien Langley may be young, but the track and field star has already broken two school sprinting records that were set in 1994. At the recent 2018 PAC-8 Track and Field Championships, 15-year-old Langley won the 200 meter sprint and finished 2nd by .01 of a second in the 100 […]

Allan Hancock College sophomore Bailey Killough’s most recent softball season earned her a spot on the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association All-State Team for the second year in a row. The Arroyo Grande High School graduate ranked sixth in her conference this season with a .430 batting average and second with eight home runs, […]

San Luis Obispo County’s girls all-star basketball team kept the game close on April 14, when high school basketball players from around the coast participated in the 28th annual Kiwanis Central Coast All-Star Basketball Spectacular.  But Cabrillo High School senior Erin Jenkins fought hard for northern Santa Barbara County, according to Gary Prober of the […]

It’s been less than a year since 12-year-old Ricky Smith’s grandfather, Mike Smith, died. Growing up in Cooperstown, New York, made Mike an avid Yankees fan and a lover of baseball in general, a gene that later trickled its way into Ricky’s blood, too. Ricky, a seventh grader at Tommie Kunst Jr. High School, pitches […]

After four years on Orcutt Academy High School’s varsity swim team, breaking numerous school records, and a currently undefeated season, senior Marcos Hillje-Enthoven plans to continue his swimming career at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, next year. As captain of his team, Hillje-Enthoven often leads meetings and acts as a mentor to younger […]

Pitching zero runs, two hits, and nine strikeouts in seven innings on April 2, St. Joseph High School sophomore Skylar Johnson helped her softball team snag its first league win in nearly five years. Her phenomenal game came as no surprise to coach John Welch, who said Johnson’s work ethic is second to none. “She […]

Floor hockey, swimming, basketball—no matter the sport, Lompoc native Jeremiah Anderson is always ready to play hard and work his way to the top. Jeremiah, 31, started competing in the Special Olympics nearly two decades ago, according to Jeremiah’s floor hockey coach and brother, Ronen Anderson. Using his years of experience and athletic versatility, Ronen […]

The Santa Maria Swim Club sent eight swimmers to Orlando, Florida, on March 13 for the Next College Student Athlete Junior National Championships, an intense competition where many young athletes are scouted by college coaches for the first time. More than 1,600 swimmers from across the nation competed at the meet. Central Coast New Tech […]

Despite several serious injuries to her forearm and shoulder, Santa Maria High School senior Jennifer Ballesteros battled her way to this season’s California Interscholastic Federation Girls Wrestling Championships. There, according to Jose Torres, head coach of Santa Maria High School’s girls wrestling team, Ballesteros took first in her league and second at regionals. Ballesteros fought […]

A group of Santa Maria cheerleaders took home a national title to close out February. Team Starstruck, a junior level cheerleading team based out of Santa Maria, placed first in their division at a national competition in Dallas, Texas, and also won a separate choreography award, according to coach Kali Williams. The Triple Threat Cheer […]