Last week, Servite’s year-end athletic award winners were announced at the Hall of Fame Dinner and All-Sports Banquet, learn more about each of our outstanding honorees as they prepare to graduate.
Athlete of the Year- Christian Martinez
A three-sport letterman for the Friars, Christian Martinez competed in water polo, basketball and swim at Servite and will pursue swim collegiately at UC Santa Barbara. During his high school career, he earned All-League recognition in all three sports in addition to All-CIF honors in water polo and swim and All-American distinction in swim. He helped lead Water Polo to a CIF Championship his senior season while winning three individual Trinity League titles in swim. In addition, he set three new Servite Swim records and the Trinity League record in the 50 Free and the 200 Free Relay. Besides his athletic accomplishments, Martinez is also an Eagle Scout and an active member in the community.
Trinity League Scholar-Athlete of the Year- Joe Lazo
Graduating with a 4.9 GPA as the Servite Valedictorian, Joe Lazo earned Trinity League Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction after competing in Cross Country and Track and Field for the Friars. A member of the 3x Trinity League Championship Track team, Lazo was also involved on campus as part of the admissions committee and the Sanberg International Leadership Program, spending his last two summers in China. His academic schedule consisted of taking 15 Honors placement classes and 11 Advanced Placement classes. He will attend LMU in the fall.
Scholar-Athlete of the Year- Ryan Saltzman
Graduating with a 4.8 GPA and in the top five of his class, Ryan Saltzman is Servite’s Scholar Athlete of the Year. A three-year varsity starter for volleyball, he helped lead the Friars to the Trinity League Championship his senior seaosn. In addition to athletics, he was the chair of the Asylum which won four OC Varsity Student Section of the Week awards this year in addition Basketball Student Section of the Year! He was also recognized as Servite’s Champions of Character honoree by the Orange County Athletic Director Association. His academic schedule consisted of 15 Honors Placement and 6 Advanced Placement classes in preparation for attending UCLA in the fall.
Sherer Courage Award- Zuriel Silva
The Sherer Courage Award, named in honor of Jeff Sherer ’83, is given to a young man who has overcome personal challenges and persevered in spite of the obstacles put it in front of him. This year’s honoree is Zuriel Silva. A two-sport athlete for Friars, Silva competed in soccer and volleyball at Servite winning Trinity League titles in both sports this year. In addition to a rigorous athletic schedule that earned him the opportunity to continue on to play soccer at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Silva overcame extreme loss that included the passing of his mother and tough family setbacks all while helping to support and care for his younger brother in their time of need. Not only did he work everyday after school, collect bottles and cans and help with day-to-day needs at home, he volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House and Faley Games in addition to serving as a member of the Servite Admissions committee. Despite all the obstacles in his path, Silva finished his high school career as a two-time Trinity League selection and an OC All-Star in soccer.
Frank Ryan Service Award- Ethan Higgins
This year’s Frank Ryan Service award winner has a unique story of survival and resilience. Ethan Higgins started his athletic career as a football player and wrestler however during wrestling season his sophomore year, he presented with concussion like symptoms which led to the incidental finding of a brain tumor. Two days later he had surgery to remove the mass, the biopsy reveled an Arteriovenos Malformation, if left untreated he could have had an aneurysm. He was told by doctors that he could no longer compete in football or wrestling. That didn’t stop Higgins from remaining involved in both sports serving as the team manager in addition to volunteering with on campus programs such as Kairos and Her Servants Kitchen. In total, he tallied over 1,100 hours of community service to become this year’s Frank Ryan Service award winner.
Congratulations to all our recipients!
