SBART Names Evans Coach of the Year, 15 Gauchos Student-Athletes of the Year

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table (SBART) hosted its annual Evening with the Athletes award ceremony on Monday, honoring a host of UC Santa Barbara student-athletes and coaches for their athletic achievements in the 2024-25 academic year. Gaucho Softball Head Coach Jo Evans was named the College Division Coach of the Year, with 15 Gauchos being named College Division Athletes of the Year in their respective sports. Men’s basketball’s Cole Anderson was also recognized as UC Santa Barbara’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.
 
SBART hosts the Evening with the Athletes award ceremony at the end of each school year to honor student-athletes from local high schools and colleges with special recognition awards and scholarships. Three of UC Santa Barbara’s honorees this year are repeat winners, with women’s swimming’s Samantha Banos, women’s tennis’ Amelia Honer and women’s outdoor track & field’s Kennedy Johnson all back-to-back Athlete of the Year honors in their sports.
 
Honer is one of four Gaucho honorees who also took home Big West Player of the Year honors this season, joined by men’s swimming’s Kyle Brill, softball’s Malaya Johnson and men’s soccer’s Alexis Ledoux. Women’s soccer’s Devin Greer and women’s volleyball’s Eva Travis both collected Big West Freshman of the Year honors in their respective sports alongside Monday’s SBART Athlete of the Year nods. Banos, Brill and Kennedy Johnson all add their SBART awards to individual Big West Championships this season, as does men’s track & field’s Brad Thomas. Banos and Brill also helped the Gaucho Men’s and Women’s Swimming teams take Big West team titles as well, with Greer, Honer, Malaya Johnson and Coach Evans also leading their teams to Big West Championships in 2024-25.
 
Earlier this spring, Anderson was announced as UC Santa Barbara’s Scholar Athlete of the Year, an honor SBART bestows annually to one student-athlete from each local high school and college, traditionally a senior, recognizing them for both athletic and academic excellence. You can read more about that honor by clicking here.  
 
The full list of UC Santa Barbara’s SBART Athletes of the Year is below.