Two Southern California student-athletes were selected by the California Interscholastic Federation as the CIF Scholar Athletes of the Year on Tuesday, the CIF announced.
Erica Barrett of Westview (San Diego Section) was selected as the girls award winner. Barrett is a three-sport athlete at Westview, participating as a member of the girls basketball, cross country and track teams. Barrett served as captain of the cross country and track teams, and earned National Merit Scholar Commendation and National AP scholar honors for her efforts in the classroom.
“I love being part of the running community,” Barrett said in the CIF’s press release. “I put great effort into both my individual success and my team’s success, as well as runners from other schools. We are genuinely thankful for each other for pushing us to be our best. One of my long-term goals is to keep the distance running program strong even after I graduate. I hope I’ve set an example that inspires future captains to do the same.”
Barrett’s teammates nicknamed her Captain America “because there’s nothing she can’t do, and she has reached super hero status in their minds, Westview cross country and track coach Amanda Trujillo said in the release.
Barrett owns a 4.53 grade-point average and scored a 35 on her ACT. She has career interests in software engineering, in the medical field and in the legal field. She plans on majoring in math and/or computer science.
Walnut’s Evan Sentoso (Southern Section) was the boys selection. Sentoso is a member of the cross country and track and field teams at Walnut, and earned class valedictorian status as well as AP Scholar honors and Junior Honor Guard accolades.
“Adversities in and out of school have continually tested the depth of my character,” Sentoso said in the release. “However, by developing a resilient mindset to bounce back from these hardships, I have accomplished more than I could ever imagine.”
“Evan is the true definition of scholar-athlete,” Walnut High School Athletic Director Jerry Person said. “He could not have raised himself to this level without strong character, hard work, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, fun and persistence.”
Sentoso owns a 4.0 GPA and scored a 2,250 on his SAT. He will attend UCLA with a career interest in sustainable technology, and will major in one of the following: psychology, international relations, international development studies, communications or environmental systems and society.
