Continuing a tradition begun in 1977, the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League announces the 2024-2025 Male & Female Athletes-of-the-Year:
This year the male athlete is Eli Fitchen-Young from Santa Cruz High School. Two females tied for the honor, three-sport athletes Izzy Graff of Aptos High and Scotts Valley High School’s Claire Skinner.
In the 48 years of this award, there have been only three previous ties (1994, 2019, and 2024). This is thesecond time there has been a girls tie.
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Claire Skinner
Scotts Valley
A 3-sport athlete, Claire was the SCCAL co-MVP in Flag Football, a 1st-team All-SCCAL selection in basketball, and a 1st-team All-PCAL selection in lacrosse.
Her Flag Football and Basketball teams were SCCAL team champs, and the Scotts Valley lacrosse team was the only Santa Cruz County team to make the CCS playoffs.
Claire will attend Azusa Pacific University next year.
Eli Fitchen-Young
Santa Cruz
Eli is one of the most decorated runners to come-out of Santa Cruz County.
A 3-time CCS Champion in Cross Country, Eli was the D4 State Champion this year, only the 2nd male state champ ever from Santag Cruz County.
In track & field, he won 2 SCCAL titles this year and owns several school and county records.
Eli will attend Duke University next year, where he’ll continue to run.
Izzy Graff
Aptos
Like Claire, Izzy was also a 3-sport athlete. With Claire, Izzy was the SCCAL co-MVP in Flag Football, she was a fierce defender in soccer, and earned 4 medals at the SCCAL Track & Field Championships, including a championship in the Long Jump, and qualified for CCS in 3 events.
All 3 of Izzy’s teams were SCCAL team champs.
Izzy will continue her track & field career at Occidental College next year.
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The Santa Cruz Sentinel sports writers established the Santa Cruz County Male & Female Athlete-of-the-Year Award in 1976-77, in the inaugural year of the SCCAL. They discontinued the award in 2021.
In 2023, the athletic directors of the SCCAL brought back the award. Every SCCAL school has unlimited nominations, and then the SCCAL athletic directors select the winners.
Under the new criteria, the nominees must be from an SCCAL school and must be a senior.
