The grief at Dos Pueblos High School is quiet, but undeniable.

Three students — 18-year-old Jake Curtis, 17-year-old Michael Ochsner, and 15-year-old Alexander Wood — were killed late Sunday night in a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 1, south of Lompoc.

All three were beloved by classmates, active in school athletics, and, just hours before the crash, had completed a junior lifeguard training at Jalama Beach.

The California Highway Patrol says the cause of the crash is still under investigation. But in the classrooms and hallways of Dos Pueblos High School, the weight of the loss is felt.

“It’s just really tragic,” said Seth Phillips, a senior who shared classes with Curtis. “He was always smiling — like a gleam of bright light in everyone’s life. I feel like there should be a celebration of life for him. He definitely had an impact on every senior, at least by name or face.”

Jake Curtis was a senior, just weeks away from graduation. His classmates are now grappling with the absence of a friend who should have been walking across the graduation stage with them.

“I think we should remember him at graduation,” said senior Holden Dicogno, who knew both Curtis and Ochsner. “Keep Jake a part of it, see him as someone who made it.”

Curtis was a member of the varsity swim team. Ochsner ran junior varsity track and cross country. Wood played junior varsity water polo. All three also participated in the county’s junior lifeguard program — a testament to their athleticism, discipline, and love for the water.

“He was a solid guy,” Dicogno said. “Michael was a great [track] teammate, always supportive. Jake, always happy. Always had a smile.”

Lucas Nora, another senior, says the loss is being felt deeply across multiple grade levels.

“It really feels like there’s a hole. Everyone’s just having a hard time trying to process that this really happened,” Nora said. “It’s not just sadness. It’s seeing your friends be that sad, too. It’s everywhere right now.”

The Santa Barbara Unified School District acted quickly, opening a compassion center on campus with support from the county’s Rapid Response Network. Grief counselors were made available to students and staff beginning Monday morning.

“When I went to visit the campus in the afternoon, it was very quiet,” said Superintendent Hilda Maldonado. “That’s not typical for a high school. The feeling was somber all around.”

Maldonado says all three students were deeply involved in the school community, and that plans are already underway to ensure Curtis is remembered at graduation.

“The school has received an outpouring of support from neighboring districts and community members,” Maldonado added. “It just speaks to the power of this community. How we come together in moments of deep tragedy.”

As the school continues final exams and graduation preparations, friends of the victims say the best way to honor them is to live more like they did: joyfully, openly, and kindly.

“Spend time with those who are important to you,” Nora said. “There’s no reason to not show love. Life’s too short for anything else.”

The Portland State women’s tennis team placed two student-athletes on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. Senior Nika Beukers earned the honor for the third consecutive year, while sophomore Scarlett Perkins received the recognition for the first time in her career.

To be eligible for nomination, student-athletes must be at least sophomores both academically and athletically, must have competed in at least 70 percent of their team’s matches during the 2025 dual season, and must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.

Perkins, a sophomore marketing major from Marlow, England, earned CSC All-District honors in her first year of eligibility for the award. She holds a 3.94 cumulative GPA and recorded four wins in both singles and doubles play for the Vikings this season. 

Beukers, a senior from Den Bosch, Netherlands, has excelled both on and off the court throughout her four-year career with the Vikings. A marketing major, she carries an impressive 3.96 cumulative GPA. During her senior season in 2025, she appeared in all 16 matches, competing at the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles. An Honorable Mention All-Big Sky selection in doubles, she recorded six singles victories and a team-leading six wins in doubles play.

FULL LIST OF 2025 WOMEN’S TENNIS ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONOREES

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JSerra has hired former Laguna Beach water polo coach Ethan Damato, a nine-time CIF-SS champion, as its girls water polo coach, JSerra principal Eric Stroupe said Tuesday.

“Yes, we have hired Ethan,” Stroupe stated in an email.

Damato didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

The school announced the hiring in an email to “Girls water polo parents” on Tuesday morning.

Damato resigned as Laguna Beach’s girls coach following the 2021-22 season and transitioned to a newly-created position as the head coach of USA Water Polo’s girls Olympic Development Program Academy.

At Laguna Beach, Damato helped build a powerhouse girls program that captured six CIF-SS championships, including five in Division 1.

Laguna Beach’s girls also won two CIF Southern California Regional titles and 18 in-season tournaments under Damato.

His resume with the Laguna Beach girls includes a 361-56 record,13 league titles in his 14 seasons and mentoring future Olympic gold medalists Annika Dries and sisters Aria and Makenzie Fischer.

Damato guided Laguna Beach’s boys to three section titles.

At JSerra, he takes the reins of a program that reached the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals this past season and finished as the Division 1 runner-up in 2024.

JSerra captured the CIF-SS Division 3 crown in 2023 and was the Division 5 runner-up in 2022.

The Lions compete in the Trinity League with CIF-SS Open Division contenders Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei.

On paper, JSerra could return first-team all-league selections Sloane Paulson, Maddie Weston and Kamryn McCord (Arizona State commit). All three are juniors.

The Lions also could return second-team all-league selections Sayre Duran and Kylin Barnes.

Please send water polo news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com

GLASSBORO, NJ – Rowan University introduced new director of athletics Shawn Tucker today as University president Dr. Ali Houshmand, provost Tony Lowman and Board of Trustees member Joe Cosgrove led the event that welcomed Tucker and his family to the campus community.

VIDEO (to come) 

Tucker comes to Glassboro after serving as Rutgers’ vice president for Athletic Development, where led a comprehensive fundraising program that supports athletics’ priorities through engagement and stewardship.

Tucker thanked Houshmand, Lowman and Cosgrove, as well as the members of the search committee. “This entire process has been first class from the beginning… I stand here before you just very proud to be a Rowan Prof.”

Tucker recognized the tremendous success of Rowan’s programs, which includes 34 conference championships since 2019, and particularly the current spring sports teams. The Profs’ softball and baseball teams are competing in the NCAA Super Regionals this week and are one step away from the College World Series in their respective sports. The men’s and women’s track teams will have 27 student-athletes competing in this weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships while the women’s lacrosse team set a school record for victories and advanced to the NCAA round of 16.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 200 student-athletes and Rowan well-wishers, Tucker spoke of what attracted him to Rowan and what he expects in the future. 

“There were numerous boxes for me, checked for ‘why Rowan’… From my initial conversations with Rowan officials, coaches and student-athletes, it was abundantly clear that Rowan University not only desires to be a premier destination for academics and elite athletics, but there’s an internal drive to be a national leader, one of one, across all disciplines,” Tucker said.

“I love the conference championships— (winning) Super Regionals, is a job well done. But the mindset that we’re going to have here is national championships.” Tucker continued, “You need an athletics department filled with high achieving, relentlessly pursuing, integral professionals and student-athletes who are determined to put forth their very best, day in and day out, to execute on that very vision. You need a Rowan community of alumni, donors, parents, friends of this beloved institution growing together to reach each milestone along this success journey.”

He played an instrumental role in securing a $15 million gift—the largest in Rutgers University Athletics history. Tucker planned and managed a campaign that raises approximately $20 million annually through engaging nearly 75,000 Rutgers supporters, including multiple seven-figure gifts and corporate opportunities. He also worked directly with NIL partners and the corporate sponsorship team to increase brand visibility and direct student funding for more than 700 student-athletes. 

Tucker joined the Rutgers athletics administrative team in April 2010 as assistant director of student-athlete development. His most significant achievement was the development and launch of the Rutgers Leadership Academy (RLA). 

Through programming and counseling, RLA helps support student-athletes at Rutgers with valuable information and tools to guide decision-making in critical life-shaping areas such as career choice, personal enrichment, leadership, community and civic engagement and professional growth. 

Through RLA, his team offered specialized programs and career, leadership and personal enrichment events for more than 650 student-athletes annually.

Earlier in his career, as associate athletic director of student-athlete development at Rutgers, he also oversaw the Rutgers Athletics Internship Program and helped launch R Care—a program dedicated to providing a comprehensive care and communication system in the areas of academic support, sports medicine, sports performance and the RLA. He had staff oversight in the areas of career enrichment, leadership training, personal development and community engagement.

Between his two most recent appointments at Rutgers, Tucker, from 2018-2022, served as associate vice president and director of Athletics at New Jersey City University. There, he led the transformation of its athletic department, doubling the number of athletics programs to 24 and tripling the number of student athletes.

He also increased private and corporate giving which supported the Rising Knight Institute for student success. Under his leadership, facilities were improved and the department’s operational budget increased by more than 100 percent.

Tucker’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Rowan, a top 100 public research university that has doubled enrollment over the past decade and is ranked as the third fastest growing research university in the nation. During this time of great transformation, Rowan Athletics has grown to become one of the most successful DIII athletic programs in the nation.

Rowan competes in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), offering 18 programs. The University has captured 26 NJAC team championships and has had 19 appearances in the NCAA Championships in the last five years. Last year, it was ranked 21st nationally in the Learfield Division III Directors Cup. Rowan Athletics earned its fourth consecutive NJAC cup in 2023-24, making it the most successful program in the NJAC five times over the past six years.

Tucker comes to Rowan after the retirement of Dr. John Giannini, who was athletic director from 2020-2024. Longtime athletic department leaders Penny Kempf and Gabby Lisella served as co-directors during the national search for the new director.

As a former standout wide receiver and team captain for Rutgers Football, Tucker will bring a unique perspective and passion for athletics to Rowan. He was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter for Rutgers and was a key member of two bowl squads, including the 2006 Texas Bowl champions. Tucker earned three Preseason All-BIG EAST honors and had 115 receptions for 1,559 yards and four touchdowns in his career.

Tucker earned a master’s degree in City & Regional Planning from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers. He earned a pair of Bachelor of Arts degrees in Geography & Labor Studies from Rutgers.

Tucker was joined at the event by his wife, Mary, and sons, Miguel, Javier and Mario. He will officially begin his post at Rowan on June 16th.

 

 

NATICK – The last time the Natick boys volleyball team had beat Bay State Conference foe Needham was back on senior day in 2019, and the long and winless years since added another chapter in April with a four-set loss that dropped the RedHawks to 0-2.

No better time than senior night to finally get revenge and end the drought.

Behind impressive runs midway through the first and third sets, and standout performances from its seniors, No. 2 Natick (15-2) took down the No. 5 Rockets with a 3-0 win (25-15, 26-24, 25-14) to extend its win streak to 15 games.

The whole lineup chipped toward the winning formula, its four seniors in middle Simon Pedrelli (nine kills, three blocks), middle John Carroll (five kills, block), Branch Barnes (10 kills, three assists, two aces) and Cody Gibendi (eight kills) anchoring an emotional victory in potentially their last chance to beat Needham.

“Of course (we talked about it),” Pedrelli said. “I had this circled on my calendar in football season. I’ve been thinking about this for a real long time. The first game, they got it from us. But there was no question in our mind that we were about to bring it to them today.”

“We believed more in winning than I think Needham, our team played very well all around,” added Natick head coach Peter Suxho. “We played very well on the defense, we played very well especially in blocking. … It’s a good time for our team.”

The first 10 points in each of the first and third sets looked much like that of a top-five matchup, both of which Needham built a very early lead on.

Natick’s ensuing runs proved too much to overcome, though.

Junior Redhawks setter Luke Dratch (32 assists, two kills, block) orchestrated the attack well, connecting with Pedrelli, Gibendi, Barnes and Carroll in a 10-3 run for a 15-9 lead in the first set. Gibendi followed a Needham side-out with consecutive kills for a 17-9 advantage. Needham traded 10 straight side-outs with Natick from there on kills from Andrew Kurdziel, Thomas Klein, Will McDonald and setter Nate Ross (12 assists, four kills, block), but Gibendi and sophomore Evan Katz (eight kills, two aces) combined to close out a 25-15 win.

In the third set, after Needham rallied to trail just 12-10, Natick ripped off an 11-3 run with more balance. Barnes, Gibendi, Carroll, and Pedrelli all earned kills in the stretch, while libero Dhruv Sirigiri and Dratch set them up to separate for a 23-13 lead Needham couldn’t bounce back from.

“It’s just lifting each other up,” Pedrelli said. “Every play, we bring the energy. It’s a team sport. You win with all six guys on the court. When you’re all playing together, playing for each other, you’re able to get off those big runs.”

The exception in an otherwise dominant showing was a tight second set, in which teams traded runs all the way to extra points. Matt Cloonan (seven kills), Will Rozman (five kills) and Kurdziel led the attack for Needham to keep it in the set for a potential 1-1 tie.

Katz came up clutch for Natick in a 4-1 run to close it out, finishing the set with six kills. Pedrelli also erupted with four kills and two blocks in one of his best performances against a fellow Div. 1 power.

“We told (Dratch) from the beginning and we said, ‘You have to play the middle,’ ” Suxho said. “You have to play (Pedrelli), you have to play (Carroll). (Pedrelli), lately, he started playing very well. … He believes more in himself now, and our setting has (been at a) better level.”

“A lot of these kids play club volleyball,” Pedrelli added. “I feel like I come in with something to prove every year because I don’t. It just really boosts my confidence. And when I see my teammates, it’s really exciting for me.”

Natick now has revenge against both teams (Brookline and Needham) that beat it early on, including handing Brookline its only loss this year.

“Going into the playoffs, we’re really at our peak right now,” Pedrelli said. “We’re just coming together as a team and I’m really excited for the playoffs.”