It was great to be a student athlete at Santana High School this spring. In all, the Sultans won the San Diego Section Division I boys tennis championship while senior Rohan Murali sent on to capture the Division I boys individual champion, the baseball team won the Division I championship and advanced to the Southern California regional finals while the softball team advanced to the Division II championship game en route to a runner-up finish.
Additionally, Santana qualified teams and/or individuals for the section boys and girls lacrosse playoffs, boys volleyball playoffs and CIF swim finals.
On an individual basis, senior Jenna Fields captured Division II gold medals in the girls long jump and triple jump at this year’s section track and field championships while junior Ryan Richter won the boys 110-meter high hurdles.
Fields went on to compete at the state championship meet.
Mallory Hundley won the beam at the CIF gymnastics finals.
“Santana had one of our most successful spring seasons in school history this year,” SHS athletic director Lucas Phillips said. “Boys lacrosse won their first league title in school history, boys track and field were Grossmont Valley League champions, baseball were champions in the Grossmont Hills league along with boys tennis winning the Grossmont Hills League title.
“Our teams and players have been very successful as they are well coached and have great work ethic on and off the field of play. Our athletic and academic philosophy both students and staff have bought into helping achieve much success this year here at Santana.”
Boys tennis
Santana, the 2023 Grossmont Hills League champions, received the No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs and defeated 15th-seeded La Costa Canyon, 14-4, in the opening round before eliminating seventh-seeded Carlsbad, 11-7, in the quarterfinals.
Santana continued to roll in the playoffs by topping third-seeded Eastlake, 10-8, in the semifinals to advance to meet top-seeded Cathedral Catholic in the division championship game April 22 at the Barnes Tennis Center.
The match-up between the Dons and Sultans ended in a 9-9 tie, necessitating a tie-breaker in total games won, which went to Santana 69-59.
The Division I team championship was the first in school history for the Santee school.
“We moved our big three (first team all-league selections Murali, Kaj Salzano and Brayden Lelevier) all into singles and Cathedral loaded up and came after us in doubles,” Santana coach John Lelevier explained. “Our doubles boys did not win any sets but ironically won the match for us as they fought hard for games, which were the difference at the end.
“Our boys could not stop talking about how nice it was to have the Barnes Tennis Center crawlin’ with the Sultan family. It was so impressive to hear the roar of the crowd from the Sultan fan base on big points.”
East County was on top of the local high school tennis world after fifth-seeded Steele Canyon defeated second-seeded Francis Parker, 10-8, to claim the Division II team championship.
Not to be outdone, Murali, the top-ranked U.S. Tennis Association player in San Diego County, returned to the playing court to win the section’s individual singles championship with a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Torrey Pines junior Robert Freeman May 13 at the Balboa Tennis Club.
Murali’s singles championship was the first for Santana in the 63-year history of the section and only the second for the Grossmont Union High School District, something that had not happened since 1961, Phillips noted.
Murali, who has competed in the Australian Open Junior Championships and the Easter Bowl 18s national championship tournament, is bound for Harvard University after completing his first year of high school tennis, which he termed a “dream season.”
The SHS coach called Murali “a phenomenal talent and great kid.”
The Sultans qualified six players overall for the individual section tournament based on place finishes at the league tournament.
Salzano won the championship in straight sets to mark the first time in 20-plus years that a Sultan had won the singles championship.
The younger Lelevier finished in third place by avenging a prior loss to his opponent.
In doubles play, Alex Glasgo and Nick Barry lost a tight championship match to place second while sophomores Nathan Martin and Moses Espino lost a thriller in the battle for third place as the surprise of the tournament.
Barry, Martin and Espino were all second team all-league selections.
Baseball
The Sultans (21-11 overall) finished regular season play with an 8-4 league record to place in a co-championship with Granite Hills in Grossmont Hills League play.
Team leaders included senior Landen Bailey with a 0.290 hitting average and 15 RBI, senior Alex Giles with a 0.278 hitting average, 19 RBI and three home runs, junior Luke Kelly with a 0.275 hitting average and seven RBI, senior Destin Allen-Fox with a 0.268 hitting average and five RBI, junior Bradley Phillips with a 0.250 hitting average, 17 RBI and two home runs, senior Zander Allen-Fox with a 0.234 hitting average and nine RBI. Senior Luke Nash contributed 11 RBI.
On the mound, Destin Allen-Fox compiled an 11-1 record with a 0.60 earned-run average and 94 strikeouts in 81.2 innings while senior Josh Hixson finished 5-5 with a 3.27 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 62 innings. Senior Jayden Agramont went 2-2 with a 2.56 ERA, five saves and 26 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.
Santana earned the No. 1 seed in the ensuing Division I playoffs while Granite Hills received the No. 6 seed in the Open Division playoffs.
The Sultans defeated ninth-seeded Bonita Vista, 4-1, in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament on May 19 before dispatching fourth-seeded San Marcos, 4-3, in the quarterfinals on May 23. Santana advanced to the championship game by defeating fifth-seeded Point Loma, 3-1, in the semifinals on May 24.
The Sultans made their CIF playoff odyssey complete with an 8-0 shutout victory against second-seeded Patrick Henry on May 26.
Santana slugged out nine hits but none of the extra base variety to score eight runs. Seven players each recorded one RBI: Agramont, Zander Allen-Fox, Bailey, Phillips, senior Caden Corderman, Nash and Kelly.
The Sultans scored four runs in the third inning and three more in the fifth inning to break the game open while limiting the Patriots to five hits in the contest.
Destin Allen-Fox threw a complete game with five hits and three strikeouts in seven innings on the mound.
Santana received the fourth seed in the Division II regional tournament and won its opening two games – 11-8 over fifth-seeded Aquinas Falcons and 3-1 over the top-seeded Crespi Celts – to advance to the championship game June 3 against the seventh-seeded Calabasas Coyotes.
The Sultans bowed begrudgingly, 1-0, to the Coyotes in eight innings to end their season in front of a standing-room only crowd.
Hixson, Phillips and Giles each scored two runs while Hixson drove in four runs and Bailey batted in two more as Santana opened the regional playoffs with a bang. Zander Allen-Fox, Bailey and Giles each stroked doubles in the game while Hixson hit a home run.
The Sultans sent five pitchers to the mound in the hitter’s fest with Hixson (3.1 innings, five strikeouts) picking up the win.
Corderman drove in two runs while Phillips tacked on one RBI in the win over Crespi. Destin Allen-Fox scored two runs while Zander Allen-Fox scored the other. Destin Allen-Fox went the distance on the hill with three hits allowed and seven strikeouts while also contributing a double at the plate.
The Sultans were limited to three hits in the SoCal championship game — one each by Bailey, Nash and Kelly. Hixson pitched 6.2 innings, allowed four hits and struck out eight batters. Agramont pitched 1.1 innings, allowed two hits and one run.
Destin Allen-Fox and Giles were each rewarded with first team all-league honors while Phillips and Agramont were second team honorees.
Destin Allen-Fox was named the Grossmont Hills League pitcher of the year.
Two Sultans — Destin Allen-Fox and Bailey — have been tabbed to compete in the upcoming Padres High School Baseball All-Star Game on Sunday, June 18, at Petco Park. The home run derby follows the Padres’ regularly scheduled MLB game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The all-star game pitting East versus West starts after the conclusion of the home run derby.
Softball
Santana (21-9-1 overall) turned in a great regular season with a runner-up finish in the Grossmont Hills League standings to league champion El Capitan (8-0 in league, 26-6
overall).
It served as a prelude to a runner-up finish in the CIF finals.
Top performers during the season included freshman Kaitlyn Ruckle with a 0.469 hitting average to go with 13 RBI, senior Taylinn Warren with a 0.451 hitting average to go with 17 RBI and 11 doubles, sophomore Emma Schneider with a 0.409 hitting average to go with 43 RBI, 14 doubles and eight home runs, sophomore Delaney Smith with a 0.376 hitting average to go with 19 RBI and 11 doubles, sophomore McKenna Miller with a 0.337 hitting average to go with 17 RBI, freshman Vanessa Ryan with a 0.312 hitting average to go with 10 RBI, junior Anabella Heguy with a 0.299 hitting average to go with 19 RBI and two home runs and junior Sara Spry with a 0.297 hitting average to go with seven RBI. Senior Kaitlyn Ours contributed 16 RBI.
In the pitching circle junior Auriela Dawson compiled a 9-2 record with a 2.64 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 77 innings while senior Gracie Johnston finished 5-3 with a 2.30 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 67 innings. Senior Kyleigh Aasen finished 5-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 44.2 innings.
The top-seeded Lady Sultans’ CIF marathon odyssey included six games — an opening 6-3 loss to eighth-seeded Westview and wins over fifth-seeded Valhalla (9-5), fourth-seeded Clairemont (4-1) and Westview (10-0 and 13-7) before a season-ending 7-1 loss to third-seeded Holtville (26-5, 8-1 in Imperial Valley League).
The Lady Sultans were richly rewarded with four first team all-league selections (Warren, Dawson, Smith and Schneider) and three second team picks (Ruckle, Johnston and Ours).
Track & field
Richter finished as the Division II section champion in the boys 110 high hurdles with a personal record time of 15.06, beating out Central Union senior Daniel Zavala (15.23), El Capitan junior Jonathan Biffle (15.28) and Monte Vista junior Deonte Sharp (15.37).
Richter finished eighth in the 300 intermediate hurdles in 41.13 behind Biffle (second, 38.49) and Sharp (fifth, 40.37).
Richter finished second in the 110 high hurdles (15.03) and fourth in the 300 intermediate hurdles (41.42) at the Grossmont Conference championships prior to the CIF prelims and finals.
Richter’s PR in the 300 distance (40.70) came in the Division II prelims.
Fields, a two-time state meet qualifier, won Division II titles in both the girls long jump (17-10) and triple jump (37-3.5) at this year’s section championship meet. Fields notched a personal record long jump of 18-3.5 at the Grossmont Conference championship meet. She recorded a season best triple jump at the section finals. At the state meet, she finished 18th out of 25 entrants in the triple jump at 36-0.75 to fail to advance in that event but finished 12th out of 27 entrants in the long jump at 18-0.5 to advance to the second day.
The top nine place-finishers in each event received state medals and Fields just missed out with an 11th place mark of 17-0.75.
Fields also recorded the top girls triple jump mark of 37-8.25 at the conference finals.
Boys volleyball
Santana received the No. 8 seed in the Division III playoffs and defeated ninth-seeded Mar Vista 3-1 by scores of 25-23, 26-24, 23-25, 25-21) in the opening round.
The Sultans advanced to meet No. 1 seed Coastal Academy in the quarterfinals and pulled off a 3-1 upset, winning by scores of 24-26, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22.
Santana could not get past fifth-seeded Granite Hills, however, as the Eagles posted a 3-0 sweep in the semifinals by scores of 26-24, 25-23, 25-20.
The Sultans finished 21-17 overall, 5-6 in Grossmont Hills League play.
Statistical leaders included senior Reed Robertson with 261 kills, senior Tyler Moltke with 219 kills and sophomore Riley Hoagland with 166 kills, senior Adam Wilshusen with 65 aces, senior Ean Lucero with 42 aces, senior Ricardo Ortega with 94 blocks, Moltke with 76 blocks, Lucero with 291 digs, Wilshusen with 115 digs and Wilshusen with 861 assists.
Swimming
Freshman Brooke Amos won the consolation championship (ninth place) in the girls 100-yard butterfly at the Division II CIF championship meet with a time of 1:02.53.
In relay events, Santana placed 15th in the girls 200 medley relay (2:05.58), 10th in the girls 200 freestyle relay (1:48.97) and 13th in the boys 200 freestyle relay (1:36.79).
Boys lacrosse
Santana qualified as the No. 2 seed for the Division II playoffs but lost its first game, 5-4, to seventh-seeded Rancho Bernardo to suffer elimination. The Sultans finished an otherwise noteworthy season with a final 15-6 record and No. 15 ranking among the section’s 57 boys teams.
Santana racked up six Grossmont Hills League first team selections: Nate Diveley, Cameron Cline, Nick Leger, Kaden Smith, Gabe Espino and Caleb Farmer. The Sultans were also well rewarded with five second team picks: Zach Royal, Kenny Johnson, Adam Roe, Aiden Salcido and Gage Malott.
Girls lacrosse
Santana received the No. 10 seed in the inaugural Division III playoffs and scored an 11-9 upset win over seventh-seeded Ramona in the opening round. The Lady Sultans ended their season at 6-17 with a 7-6 loss at second-seeded Olympian in the quarterfinals.
Lacey Oliver represented Santana on the Grossmont Hills League first team while Kaylee Doxey was named second team.
Boys golf
Junior A.J. Kane, senior Will Keehan, senior Luke Ellis, junior Nathan Wooding, and freshman Cole Weiss represented Santana at this year’s Grossmont Valley League tournament.
Kane and Keehan both earned berths on the all-Grossmont Valley League second team.
Gymnastics
Hundley earned recognition as a member on the section’s first team after winning the beam competition with a score of 9.3.
