LOS ANGELES – UCLA Athletics honored its top scholar-athletes on Monday, May 19 at the annual UCLA Scholar-Athlete Banquet, held at Covel Commons. Swimmer Ana Jih-Schiff and tennis player Alexander Hoogmartens were recognized as Scholar-Athletes of the Year after compiling the highest cumulative GPAs among female and male graduating seniors, respectively. 

2024-25 Scholar-Athlete Award Winners

Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Awarded to the female and male graduating student-athletes with the highest cumulative GPA.

Ana Jih-Schiff, Women’s Swimming & Diving (3.944, Psychology)

Alexander Hoogmartens, Men’s Tennis (3.967, Economics)

Rose Gilbert Courage and Character Award

Given in honor of Maggie Gilbert, this award recognizes the student-athletes who have shown tremendous growth throughout their academic career at UCLA. These recipients have demonstrated relentless perseverance and commitment to their academic endeavors, and their hard work and determination have allowed them to excel in the classroom.

Emma Malabuyo, Gymnastics

Ido David, Men’s Volleyball

Maggie Gilbert Academic Achievement Award

Awarded to student-athletes who have shown tremendous growth throughout their academic career and demonstrated relentless perseverance and commitment to their academic endeavors.

Carly Hendrickson, Women’s Volleyball

Lazar Stefanovic, Men’s Basketball

Bruin Leadership Award

Through their leadership skills and initiative, the recipients of the Bruin Leadership Award are student-athletes who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a significant impact on the UCLA student-athlete experience. They have demonstrated outstanding services to others and within the community.

Anika Roche, Rowing

Oluwafunto Akinshilo, Football

OAE Success Award

This award is a tribute to Rose Gilbert, recognizing her many contributions to the lives of UCLA student-athletes. As a life-long educator, Rose was especially committed to assisting students who were confronted with significant obstacles outside the classroom. The recipients of this award met their challenge with courage, strength, and resiliency and were able to successfully overcome challenges in their personal lives while still excelling academically.

Sydney Johnson, Women’s Track & Field

Trey Doten, Men’s Water Polo

UCLA All-Academic Team

The UCLA All-Academic Team is comprised of the person from each team with the highest cumulative GPA.

Kaena Kiakona, Baseball

Lazar Stafanovic, Men’s Basketball

Amanda Muse, Women’s Basketball

Jessie Smith, Beach Volleyball

Patrick Curulla, Men’s Cross Country

Annika Salz, Women’s Cross Country

Sam Yoon, Football

Matthew Yamin, Men’s Golf

Tiffany Le, Women’s Golf

Madisyn Anyimi, Gymnastics

Jacqueline Vargas, Rowing

Sam Scott, Men’s Soccer 

Lily Boyden, Women’s Soccer 

Savannah Pola, Softball

Elena Dry, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Alexander Hoogmartens, Men’s Tennis

Mia Jovic, Women’s Tennis

Shawn Toney, Men’s Track & Field

Audrey Allen, Women’s Track & Field

Thiago Zamprogno, Men’s Volleyball 

Brooklyn Briscoe, Women’s Volleyball

Max Matthews, Men’s Water Polo

Sienna Green, Women’s Water Polo

Athletic Director’s Academic Excellence Award

For the student athletes with outstanding academic achievements, maintaining their status on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll every quarter attended at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Audrey Allen, Women’s Cross Country

Matthew Aziz, Men’s Volleyball

Chase Barry, Football

Lily Boyden, Women’s Soccer

Caroline Canales, Women’s Golf

Jada Cecil, Softball

Devin Delgado, Football 

Angela Devine, Rowing

Riley Dix, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Morgan Hawes, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Alexander Hoogmartens, Men’s Tennis

Reagan Hope, Beach Volleyball

Ana Jih-Schiff, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Sydney Johnson, Women’s Track & Field

Mia Kane, Women’s Cross Country 

Tiffany Le, Women’s Golf

Cheridyn Leverette, Women’s Volleyball

Kathryn Lundh, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Paige MacEachern, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Emma Malabuyo, Gymnastics

Sophia Manos, Rowing

Peyton Marcisz, Women’s Soccer

Emma Matous, Women’s Swimming & Diving

Katie McCarthy, Women’s Volleyball

Tzipporah Moehringer, Rowing

Ella O’Neil, Rowing

Jack Pedersen, Football

Molly Renner, Women’s Water Polo

Giacomo Revelli, Men’s Tennis 

Lazar Stafanovic, Men’s Basketball

Ashley Stenstrom, Women’s Swimming & Diving 

Nicole Struss, Women’s Water Polo

Michael Sullivan, Football

Sonia Virk, Women’s Track & Field

Elise Wagle, Women’s Tennis

 

The World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) has revoked accreditation of The Bloemfontein Laboratory, Africa’s only accredited sports anti-doping lab.

Located in the South African province of Free State, The Bloemfontein Laboratory was placed under analytical testing restriction in 2023 due to the “Gas Chromatography / Combustion / Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) analytical method.”

In March 2024, WADA suspended the lab for six months, eventually extending the suspension to a year. The organization cited several non-conformities, including technical documents along with the analytical testing restriction.

Now, the lab has no accreditation by WADA or any of its affiliates, effectively ending its ability to work in sports. WADA said that Bloemfontein did not “satisfactorily address” the non-conformities that led to the suspension.

The Bloemfontein Lab did not attempt to challenge the revocation, which was recommended by WADA’s Laboratory Expert Group and approved by its Executive Committee. If it wishes to work in sports in the future, the organization must re-apply for accreditation as a new laboratory.

According to ESPN, transporting athlete samples long distances increases the likelihood that the sample will degrade and therefore be unfit for testing. With no options on the continent, athlete samples in Africa can be sent to labs in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, India, or Qatar.

Simon Kuszynski and Andrin Zuellig from the Portland State men’s tennis team earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators (CSC). Kuszynski received the award for the second consecutive year, while Zuellig was named an All-District honoree for the first time in his 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.

A junior from Markham, Ontario, Kuszynski qualified for the honor with an impressive 3.96 cumulative GPA as a finance major. He played in all 18 matches for the Vikings this season, primarily competing at No. 6 singles and No. 1 and 2 doubles. Kuszynski finished his junior campaign with a team-high eight singles wins, along with three doubles victories.

 

Zuellig, a senior from Baar, Switzerland, earned the honor as a Data Science major with a 3.63 cumulative GPA. He appeared in all 18 matches for the Vikings during the 2025 dual season, competing at all three doubles positions and primarily at the No. 4 and No. 5 singles spots, finishing the season with a total of six wins across singles and doubles.

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

 

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