Emily Reilly has been selected as SBCC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table.
The sophomore from Seattle has a 3.88 GPA in 2019-20 and is currently taking Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science and Honors Ethics.
Her academic honors are long and impressive: National Science Foundation STEM Scholar, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, SBCC President's Honor Roll, SBCC Honors Program and David W. Doner Jr., M.D., Biological and Life Sciences Scholar.
"I have been very fortunate in my laboratory and clinical experiences, which have served to expand my knowledge and guide my educational direction," said Reilly, a biology major who's President of the SBCC Pre-Med Club. "Using this knowledge, I have been able to assist my fellow SBCC classmates as a STEM tutor especially in regards to anatomic dissection.
"I will be applying to the UC system for continuation of my undergrad in Biology. Upon completion of my undergrad, I intend on continuing my education at an allopathic medical school, specializing in Pathology."
Reilly has been a two-year member of the Vaqueros' highly successful swim team and was a co-captain this year. She also played water polo for the first time last fall when the Vaqueros were short on players. The Vaqueros went 30-5 and finished third in Southern California.
SBCC went 53-4 in Swimming & Diving in 2019 and placed 10th in the state. They won their fifth straight WSC title with a perfect 26-0 record, extending their conference win streak to 114 in a row. Reilly was third in the 400 IM at the WSC Championships and fourth in the 200 backstroke.
The Vaqueros were 21-1 in three meets this year when their season was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Emily had never played water polo but we were short on numbers and she wanted to learn the sport," said SBCC's Water Polo and Swimming & Diving coach Chuckie Roth. "She is a veteran swimmer who loves her team and just wanted to help out. As a swimmer, she is a true fish who loves swimming. Last season, she was two spots away from making state in the 200 backstroke. We were very confident that this year she would have qualified."
Reilly will get a season of swim eligibilty back for this abbreviated year and Roth said she plans to swim for the 2021 Vaquero squad.
She got an early start on her swim career, which was nearly derailed in high school.
"I began my career with USA swimming at age 4," Reilly recalled. "I swam for Green Valley High in Henderson, Nev., as well as Boulder City Henderson Heatwave Club team. I experienced a shoulder injury in high school and was told my swimming career was over. I became a massage therapist focused on sports injury recovery and worked toward healing myself so I could get back in the water."
Reilly is an open-water swimming, having competed in multiple ocean swims in San Francisco Bay, Boston Harbor, The Florida Keys, and lake swims in the Glacial lakes of Central Oregon.
"I feel so lucky to have been given another year of eligibility for the 2021 swim season," said Reilly. "With the extra time to train, I hope to go All-American in the 400 IM and 200 back. I am also planning a channel crossing tentatively for next fall and Coach Roth has agreed to swim the channel with me. I wouldn't want it any other way."
According to Roth, the classroom is No. 1 in Reilly's life and aquatics are a close second.
"She puts academics first and she loves and cares about her team," said Roth. "She is genuinely a wonderful person who sets goals high and holds herself accountable. Emily has grown on me so much since the first time I met her. She has been through a lot in life and is on the right path. I am proud of her and honored to coach her."
