Tess Whittet
Staff Writer
Nineteen sports, two state titles, and one Cal-Hi School of the Year award.
Mira Costa Athletics won its first Cal-Hi award for Division 2 State School of the Year in July. Cal-Hi gives the award recognizing one California High School in each division that has multiple successful sports teams.
“This award is a standing ovation to all of the student-athletes, coaches, parents, and boosters, who work so hard to make Mira Costa Athletics a state and national powerhouse,” Costa vice principal John Shaw said.
The requirement for all of the schools that won the award, or were considered for it, had at least one time win a California Interscholastic Federation championship or rank number one overall in a sport by Cal-Hi.
“It means a lot after putting all this hard work into basketball, to have our Athletic Department honored as it is now,” alumnus Parker Cunningham said.
Cal-Hi recognized Costa for two of its sports teams that received titles last year. The Mustangs girls golf team won both the CIF Southern Section title and the CIF State Championship team title, and the boys volleyball team finished number one in the state and the nation during CIF So-Cal Division 1 Finals.
“It feels awesome to have contributed to something like the Cal-Hi award since there are so many competitive schools, especially in the South Bay, and yet we out performed all of them to end up on top,” senior varsity volleyball player Kevin Pinkerton said.
The final decision of who would receive the Cal-Hi award for Division 2 School of the Year came down to Mira Costa and cross-town rival Redondo Union High School. The Mustangs’ achievements outscored Redondo’s, resulting in the award being given to Costa.
“Our overall success during the season gave at least a little boost to the Costa athletic program, and we are delighted that Mira Costa came out ahead of Redondo in the overall voting,” Costa varsity girls basketball coach John Lapham said.
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