WSC Tabs 13 February Athletes of the Month

Men's and women's basketball reached playoffs and all spring sports were officially in competition in February as the Western State Conference tabbed its 13 Athletes of the Month, announced Monday.

Baseball - Sophomore transfer right-handed pitcher Tim Hudson has already made a big impact for the Citrus baseball team, going 3-0 on the bump in February. Hudson threw a two-hitter through 5.2 scoreless innings in the team's 2-1 win over Modesto before following it up in his next appearance with 6.0 innings of work, leading the team to a 6-5 victory at No. 4 Cypress. Overall on the month, he tossed 17.1 innings including 5.2 in the shutout against Rio Hondo. He scattered 12 hits, fanned 23, and only allowed five earned runs. 

Men's Basketball - Freshman guard Malachi Knight helped lead West LA to a 6-1 February, leading to a first-round bye in the playoffs. Knight averaged 18.8 points per game on 59.7 percent shooting, 59.2 percent from three-point range, with three 20-plus points outings, including posting back-to-back 21-point games to close out the month. He added 4.4 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game.

Women's Basketball - Reigning WSC South Division Co-Most Outstanding Player of the Year Danika Tolentino led the Renegades to a 69-66 upset on the road at Copper Mountain in the first round of the playoffs. Her 28 points and 11 rebounds helped boost the team before nearly upsetting Moorpark in the second round, falling by just two points. In February, Tolentino averaged 20.3 points per game, racking four 20-plus points games in half of the team's contests and tallying a high of 34 at West LA, adding 6.3 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, and 2.1 steals per game, including eight at Canyons. Overall, she shot 43.1 percent from the field, 42.2 percent from beyond the arc. 

Men's Golf - Sophomore Jacques Struyf is off to a hot start in 2026, winning the individual title at the first WSC event to kick off February and helping lead Canyons to back-to-back wins at the WSC #1 and Riverside Invitational. Struyf shot one over at Oakmont Country Club (Glendale) and just two over at Victoria Country Club (Riverside).

Beach Volleyball - The duo of sophomores Viola Barrios and Shai Daniels was unstoppable in February. Barrios and Daniels were undefeated in their six matches as the top pair for Ventura, leading the Pirates to a 6-0 month. They swept Mt. San Jacinto, Saddleback, San Diego City, and San Diego Miramar, holding opponents to single-digits in five sets.

Softball - Sophomore outfielder Alivia Martinez's bat was hot in February, leading Citrus to an 8-3 record, including upsets of No. 19 Saddleback, No. 14 Fullerton, and No. 7 Cypress. Martinez hit .459 over the month, carrying a seven-game hitting streak from January into February. She belted three doubles, three triples, and three homers, adding 16 RBI and five stolen bases. Overall, she had six multi-hit games with a .945 slugging percentage.

Men's Swim & Dive - Sophomore Grant Huston was unstoppable in the pool in February. He led Cuesta to two top finishes and a runner-up finish at the Mt. SAC Invite with 16 first place finishes. In all three meets, his 200 yard medley relay team and 200 yard freestyle relay team captured first. Individually, he competed primarily in the freestyle and breaststroke ranging from 100 to 1,650 yards.

Women's Swim & Dive - Sophomore Trinity Link saw the podium for every race she competed in for the month of February. She finished at the top of the leaderboard in 14 of her 17 races over the month, including all eight at the Mt. SAC Invitational.

Men's Tennis - Sophomore Yusen Sato went undefeated in both doubles and singles play against 3C2A opponents and posted a near perfect record overall in the month of February. Sato didn't drop a set against 3C2A opponents and defeated his competition against UC Santa Crus, Whittier, and Azusa Pacific. In singles play, against Bakersfield and Mt. SAC, he only lost one game against the Eagles and two against the Mounties. 

Women's Tennis - Santa Barbara's Iris Besmer helped lead the Vaqueros to a 7-1 mark in February, opening the month undefeated in both doubles and singles play. She only dropped one game early on, otherwise sweeping her opponents.

Men's Track & Field - Allan Hancock's Mychael Walker easily surpassed the state "A" mark (13.71) in the triple jump in his first outing of the season at the Moorpark Season Opener, winning the event with a distance of 14.40 meters. And his first place marks didn't end there. He captured the top spot on the podium in the next three meets, posting a season-best of 14.70 meters at the Central Coast Multi Dual Challenge at Cuesta to end the month.

Women's Track & Field - Sophomore Kiala Haas found early success at the middle distance races in February, capturing four individual titles. She won the 600 and 1,500 meters at the Moorpark Season Opener before following up with wins in the 800 and 1,500 meters at the Ventura Invitational to end the month.