By Derek Wilson
Marinscope
After a year of extraordinary hardships shared by all, Marin County’s high school communities came together Monday evening to recognize a special group of student-athletes who have made a positive influence on and off campus.
The Marin Athletic Foundation honored 24 teenagers during the Outstanding Student-Athlete Awards ceremony at San Rafael High School. One male student and one female student were chosen from each of Marin’s 12 schools.
“These students are an accomplished group of young adults! Criteria considered in determining the students who receive this award are first and foremost Athletic Involvement and Scholarship followed by Leadership, School-Community Involvement and Deportment,” Judy Colton, MAF Board of Directors and OSA Event Chairperson, wrote in a press release. “The MAF is proud to be able to honor these outstanding students who are truly the best of the best and are representative of the fine educational institutions we have here in Marin County.”
In addition to the awards, the Foundation handed out $17,500 in scholarships to a group of nine honorees: San Domenico’s Vienna Rist and Tobechukwu Ohajunwa, Tomales’ Alejandra Gutierrez, Tam’s Ella Bogan and Drake’s Sophia Calegari. Tomales’ Misael Gonzalez earned the Ghilotti Award. The Pat Schumacher Award went to Redwood’s Hudson Grace. San Rafael’s Acer Cristea accepted the Tuatagaloa Memorial Scholarship and classmate Sarah Williams earned the Tom Untermann Memorial Scholarship.
Among the scholarship donors are Ghilotti Brothers, the Mario Ghilotti Family Foundation, Michael and Sheryl Gorton, the Vickie Soulier Foundation, Pat Schumacher, the Tuatogaloa Family and the Untermann Family.
• Honorees from the Branson School are Noelle Namba and Miles Keefe.
“When the stakes are highest, and the pressure is at a maximum, Noelle has the amazing ability to not only rise to every challenge but to shine brightest when others’ lights are dimming,” Branson girls soccer coach Tyler Gottschalk said of Namba, a four-year varsity player who helped the Bulls to two Northern California titles.
Namba is a standout on the soccer field, but she was also recognized for her academic success — a 3.95 GPA — and her leadership in the community. Namba’s work with the Interact Club to host holiday events at a local childcare center, and her involvement with the Women of Color and Asian and Asian-American affinity group, Women in STEM club, and volunteer work with Kids Enjoy Exercise Now make her a positive role model. Namba has committed to play at Vassar College next season, where she will major in veterinary medicine.
Keeffe said he is, “So honored and grateful to be considered for this award, as it recognizes all of the hard work and dedication from me, my teammates, and my coaches over the past four years.”
Keeffe helped lead the Bulls to three Marin County Athletic League titles, two North Coast Section crowns and the NorCal finals. He also volunteers with the SF/Marin Food Bank, and is a member of the Community Honor Board and debate club. He will take his court talents to UC Riverside next season.
• Marin Academy is represented by lacrosse and water polo player Georgia Brown and baseball player Jacob Young.
Brown is an admissions fellows leader, a human development TA and a natural talent on the field and in the pool as an athlete, and on the stage as a musician. She expects to attend Hamilton College next fall.
Young has been captain of the baseball team for the past three years, and is team ace on the mound and the heart of the batting order. Off the field, he is an energetic musician on drums and guitar. He is a volunteer for Challenger soccer and basketball, and is a pitching instructor for the Mill Valley Little League. Young has committed to play baseball at Brown University.
“A leader leads, and in my opinion, Jacob is a true leader,” said Marin Academy baseball coach Ron Robinson. “It’s rare to have someone with the maturity and discipline that Jacob has shown.”
• Annabel Teperson and Bennet Goller represented Marin Catholic with honor.
“Annabel (Teperson) will be known and remembered as one of the best student athletes to ever pass through the softball program at Marin Catholic High School,” Wildcats head coach David Albini said.
During Teperson’s time on the softball diamond, Marin Catholic has won an MCAL crown and an NCS title. A past MCAL Pitcher of the Year, she holds four all-time Marin Catholic softball records. She has also played three years of varsity water polo.
Teperson, a Dean’s List scholar, also volunteers at the Hamilton School Homework Club. She has accepted a scholarship to play softball at UC Berkeley, where she plans to study Environmental Science.
Goller has been a two-sport standout in basketball and lacrosse at Marin Catholic.
“Bennett always accepted the challenge with excitement and a big smile on his face,” MC lacrosse coach Matt Palasek said.
Goller’s smile is infectious, which is a good thing as he has volunteered for more than 50 hours at the Queen of the Valley Medical Center Mobile Dental Clinic, and for another 50 years at various other locations.
Goller and his brother Jack were teammates at Marin Catholic and will be reunited next season at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. When Jack heard his younger brother had committed to Colby, he announced his plans to transfer.
• Swimmer Bianca Bayer and lacrosse player Mack Carter were the Novato honorees.
Bayer enjoys her individual and team accomplishments with the Hornets, but she also cherishes her time in the pool as a volunteer with the Special Olympics and Make A Splash to help introduce underprivileged and underserved children to the joys of swimming. She has also volunteered at Rancho and San Ramon elementary schools.
“She is an example that growth and greatness can come from challenges, “ Novato swim coach Denise McIntyre said.
Bayer, a member of the Marin School for the Arts Product Design Program, expects to attend Chapman University in the fall to continue her swimming career and study graphic design.
Carter “is fearless to any challenge or situation,” according to Novato lacrosse coach Michael Pardi. An All-MCAL selection two years in a row, Carter has been one of the league’s leading scorers all four years on the varsity squad.
He and his family have battled through health issues, but Carter has come through. He has tried to help others through the To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer and Susan G. Komen foundations and the Walsh Family Leukemia Foundation.
A future West Point cadet and lacrosse player, he shares his passion for the sport as a volunteer youth coach. It would be difficult to find a better role model, as he was recently named one of the top 150 players in the nation and will compete at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas in a tournament July 10-11.
• Redwood basketball star Kylie Horstmeyer and runner Hudson Grace were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments.
Horstmeyer collected more than 1,000 points in three years on the Giants basketball team and was recognized as one of the top players in the region as a West Coast Jamboree All-Tournament pick and an All-State honorable mention. She graduated a semester early and accepted a full scholarship to University of San Diego, where she is currently playing.
Grace never slowed down during the pandemic. He continued to run as often as he could in preparation for the cross country and track seasons. He will continue his athletic career at UCLA next season.
Grace, who boasts 4.65 weighted GPA, gave back to his school as the founder of “Protect My Teachers” to ensure all the teachers at Redwood received N95 masks. He has been a member of the Redwood Honor Society and Redwood Chemistry Club, as well as volunteer with the Kentfield Fire Station and the San Anselmo Public Library.
• Vienna Rist and Tobe Ohajunwa found the opportunity to change their lives and to make a difference in their communities as outstanding student-athletes at San Domenico.
“I like to think I’ve had even a minor role in spreading the joy of athletics and sports involvement,” said Rist, a team award-winner for her efforts on the volleyball court and a school record holder in the 100 meter hurdle.
Rist has balanced her role as a two-sport athlete while serving as class president as a sophomore and senior, and as a member of the body-positive and peer resource clubs. She plans to attend Wesleyan University to study psychology.
Ohajunwa, a standout on the soccer field and a school record holder in the 100 and 200 meter dash and the high jump, strives every day to do better than the day before.
He came to the Bay Area from Lagos, Nigeria, through a program called A Better Chance.
“I saw this as an opportunity to finally be able to give back to my country,” he said. “From the moment I boarded the plane heading toward San Francisco, I promised myself to always improve as an individual and constantly reach for the top to the best of my ability.”
Ohajunwa’s efforts off the field include his work with the Black Student Union, Computer Science Club, Anime Club and the Student Council, while maintaining a 4.13 GPA. An award-winning artist, he plans to attend Purdue University next semester to major in software engineering.
• San Marin’s Lucy Mogan and Sean Burke have carried on a tradition of excellence on the field and in the classroom.
Mogan has been recognized as one of the top softball players in the Bay Area during her four years on the varsity squad. Meanwhile, she has been a NCS Scholar Athlete and made the Principal’s List each year with a 4.18 GPA. A straight-A student in the STEM Marin Program, she also reaches out to the community as a member of the Do Good Be Kind Club.
Mogan expects to play softball and major in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Barbara next semester.
Burke, a standout in cross country, basketball and baseball, is an inspiration to his teammates, according to coach James Vattuone. In addition to his hard work on the field, he has maintained a 4.3 GPA and made the Honor Roll every semester. Burke plans to attend UC Santa Barbara next semester.
• Three-sport star Sarah Williams and two-sport standout Acer Cristea embody the “Bulldog mentality” at San Rafael High School.
Williams earned the Tom Untermann Memorial Scholarship, named for the former owner of West End Nursery. Untermann was a valued member of the San Rafael community. He graduated from San Rafael High in 1965 and went on to play basketball at UC Davis. He later committed to the improvement projects of the San Rafael High School athletic facilities. Untermann is a member of the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame and the San Rafael High School Hall of Honor.
Williams, who competes in basketball, water polo and swimming, is also making an impact on the local community as a volunteer through the Make A Splash program and Slide Ranch. A NCS Scholar-Athlete, she plans to major in premed at UCLA and to study abroad to become fluent in Spanish.
Cristea, an import from London, has prospered as a runner and soccer player at San Rafael. In his junior year, he sped to the State Cross Country Meet. During his time with the Bulldogs, he also helped lead the soccer team to the NCS semifinals for the first time in school history.
Cristea has been recognized not just for the numbers he puts up. “His grit and perseverance make him such a great athlete,” according to coach Matthew Dracker.
Those traits earned Cristea the Tuatagaloa Scholarship. Natu Tuatagaloa, a 1984 graduate of San Rafael, played six years in the NFL before returning home to become a member of the San Rafael City School Board, Rotary Club and MAF Board of Directors. He was enshrined in the MAF Hall of Fame in 2004.
Cristea, who holds a 4.4 GPA, plans to attend UC Santa Cruz next semester.
• Sophia Calegari and Miles Crock have navigated their way to success at Drake/HS1327, while making their impact beyond campus as well.
Calegari, a 4.0 student, is a captain on the soccer team and one of the best long jumpers in school history. But she’s also served as ASB Vice-President and has been an activist for the girls’ education with the Daraja Club. She filmed a documentary about the Daraja School in Kenya to highlight an important cause. Locally, she has volunteered as a counselor at Camp Kid Marin and is a founder of a preschool soccer class and is an intern with Marin Against Youth Abuse. She has committed to Cal Poly for next semester.
Crock is described by boys soccer coach Rene Ayala as a person who “simply does not know how to quit and has the heart of a lion. He welcomes adversity and uses it as a motivator.” Perhaps that is why Crock earned the varsity team’s Pirate Award and was named MVP. He is also a past All-MCAL Honorable Mention. Crock also works with the ASB and the Mother Earth Club on campus.
• Tamalpais stars Ella Bogan and Tucker Bougie proved they can’t be stopped when the game is on the line.
Boganplayed basketball her freshman year with a broken arm, but still led the team to an undefeated league season and the MCAL title. She played basketball and field hockey in her sophomore campaign, but suffered a concussion and sprained neck. She rebounded from those injuries and has continued to lead the Hawks on the field and the court.
The head of Hawk Talk TV and Tam TV Sports LIVE content, Bogan plans to study film production at New York University Tisch for TV & Film.
Bougie will be taking his fastball to Cal next season, with dreams of playing in the Majors someday. He has made an effort to clean up his own community as well as other communities around the world when he travels for baseball.
• Vivian Johnson and Jason Hsu instantly make this around them better at Terra Linda.
“Vivian’s athletic and academic achievements are unparalleled, but it is her unbelievable worth ethic and kindness that set her apart,” Trojans softball coach Kathryn Lawrence said of the All-MCAL shortstop and catcher.
Johnson will pursue a softball career at St. Lawrence University in New York, but that is not her only passion.
She also sparked a renaissance in the girls golf program, which lost only one match in three years after her arrival and won the MCAL crown three years in a row. The team had won only one match in the previous five seasons.
Hsu has always enjoyed playing soccer and has shared that joy with his Trojan teammates and the Terra Linda community by creating a soccer camp for neighborhood children during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Hsu works for the Buck Institute and is a member of the Marin School Environmental Leadership Program. He expects to play soccer at UC Davis next season.
• In West Marin, tiny Tomales High School is not often in the spotlight, but Alejandra Gutierrez and Misael Gonzalez still shone bright.
Gutierrez, a basketball and soccer standout, is described by soccer coach Jose Vaca as “a spirited, quiet leader amongst her peers… She is diligent in her work and always appreciative of those around her.”
That attitude applies to her studies, as she has been recognized for her excellence in history, Spanish and chemistry classes. She plans to take her talents to Sonoma State University in the fall.
Gonzalez, a three sport star, has been a past all-league selection in basketball and football. He also competes in tennis.
Gonzalez, who took eight AP classes and earned a 4.38 GPA, plans to study architectural engineering at Cal Poly.
“Being a first-generation college student, I will be the first in my family to set an example for them on the power of education,” he said.
Mike Gorton, Vice President, MAF Board of Directors and OSA Scholarship Chairperson, wrote: “MAF has a loyal group of donors that believe strongly in education and sports. These student athletes have accomplished so much in their short high school careers. They are amazing athletes and great students who also spend a lot of time in their communities making a difference. I look forward to what they can accomplish as they are launched into life.”
“We are extremely grateful for the continued support from the Ghilotti Family and The Mario Ghilotti Family Foundation in helping the Marin Athletic Foundation to continue its fine tradition of recognizing scholar athletes from the public and private schools throughout the county at the annual Eva & Mario Ghilotti Outstanding Student Athletes Awards,” wrote Otis Bruce, Jr., President, MAF Board of Directors and OSA Committee. “The OSA and the Hall of Fame are two annual events that lend support to the organization’s belief of the positive impact athletics have on individuals throughout their lives. Support for these countywide community honors, provides opportunities for donations to further our mission to support Marin County’s athletic programs by focusing on the health, safety, and injury prevention of all students. (It is) with great pleasure that we present a check to each of the school’s Athletic Directors, whom we also recognize for their hard work and dedication, to further support their athletic departments.”
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