WSC Selects November Athletes of the Month

As the fall crossover took full effect in November and fall sports wrapped up with postseason play taking place, the Western State Conference selected 10 student-athletes from their respective sports, representing seven institutions, announced Thursday.

Men's Basketball - Sophomore point guard Leo Ricketts led No. 4 Citrus men's basketball to a 5-1 mark in November with the team's only loss being at No. 2 Fullerton, 116-113, in double overtime. But even in that heartbreaking loss, Ricketts posted a game-high and career-best 35 points, shooting 50 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from beyond the arc. On the month, Ricketts averaged 20 points per game, shot 53.3 percent from the field – 37.3 percent from three – and added 2.83 rebounds per game and 3.67 assists per game.

Women's Basketball - Sophomore guard Alyssa Saldana directed the No. 5 Moorpark women's basketball offense off to a hot 7-0 start, 6-0 in November, upsetting preseason No. 2 Sequoias and No. 3 Orange Coast to start the season, while also wrapping up the month with a win over No. 6 Glendale. She scored in double-figures all six games, including a career-high 25 against Pasadena. Overall for the month, Saldana averaged 18.2 points per game, shooting 55.7 percent. She added 4.0 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game, and 2.0 steals per game.

Men's Cross Country -Cuesta sophomore Weston Greenelsh finished runner-up at the 3C2A SoCal Cross Country Championships before two weeks later winning it all for the second-straight year at the 3C2A State Championships. Greenelsh edged the state runner-up by just under eight seconds, finishing the four-mile course at Woodward Park in 19:50.91 being named the WSC Male Athlete of the Year after also taking the individual title at the WSC Championships in October.

Women's Cross Country - Moorpark sophomore Maya Natarajan won the triple crown of cross country, winning the WSC Championships in October before taking the individual titles at the 3C2A SoCal Championships and 3C2A State Championships in November. Natarajan outpaced her competition in both races around 10 seconds or more on the 5,000-meter courses, finishing in 17:45.81 at SoCals before cruising to the state title in a time of 17:40.18.

Women's Golf - Santa Barbara freshman Aidie Smith posted the top finishes for the Vaqueros at both the SoCal Women's Golf Championships and 3C2A State Championships in November. Smith finished fifth in both tournaments, moving up one spot after the first round at SoCals to finish with a final score of 156 and best her day one outing by four strokes at Olivas Links Golf Course. In the lone round at the state championships, she shot just five over (77), at River Course at the Alisal (Solvang, Calif.) to post the second-best finish for a WSC women's golfer.

Men's Soccer - Sophomore forward Ernesto Rodriguez led Oxnard men's soccer to a 4-1-2 November, ending just one match shy of heading to the state tournament, falling to Los Angeles City, 2-0, in the fourth round. Rodriguez scored the go-ahead goal in the 65th minute against Cypress in the second round of playoffs before earning the crucial assist on the game-winning goal against Mt. SAC to help Oxnard advance to the third round. In November, Rodriguez tallied nine goals and one assist, including counting a hat trick against LA Pierce.

Women's Soccer - Santa Barbara women's soccer rookie goalkeeper Natalie Gonzalez allowed only one goal, counting two shutouts in November as the Vaqueros went 2-1-2 overall on the month, falling in the third round of the 3C2A Southern Regional as the seventh-seed. She recorded 16 saves over the team's five matches including five against MiraCosta in the second round of regionals and six at Santiago Canyon in the third round with the Hawks' lone goal coming on a penalty kick. Against the Spartans, as the match went to penalty kicks, she helped lead her squad to a 4-3 edge to advance.

Women's Volleyball - Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Nicole Lankton was named the 2025 WSC South Division Women's Volleyball Player of the Year in November as the Corsairs went a perfect 12-0 in conference play. And she didn't disappoint as she led the Corsairs to a sweep of Pasadena to advance to the 3C2A State Tournament to close out the month. SMC went 5-0 in November, nearly sweeping every opponent. Lankton racked up 60 kills, hitting .310, while defensively she tallied 15 blocks, including seven against Golden West.

Men's Water Polo - Ventura sophomore Owen Patterson was named the WSC Men's Water Polo Player of the Year in November and led the Pirates to the second round of the SoCal Regional Championships. He scored three of the team's 10 goals in the first round of playoffs against Saddleback, adding an assist. In November, Patterson netted 14 goals, adding three assists, four steals, and four blocks as the team went 4-2 overall.

Women's Water Polo - Santa Barbara goalie Ava Barclay had a rookie season to remember as she was named the 2025 WSC Women's Water Polo Player of the Year, WSC Regular Season and Tournament Champion, and finished third at the 3C2A Championships - all happening in November. SBCC went 10-3 over the month, falling just shy of the state title game in double-overtime, despite Barclay's 13 saves. Overall, Barclay was in the goal for 56 periods for the Vaqs in November, only allowing 100 goals, while racking up 143 saves. She also added 21 assists and 48 steals.