Men's Volleyball's Luke Steinert Named SBART SBCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year

By Jimmy Friery

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Vaquero Men's Volleyball libero Luke Steinert was named Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table (SBART) SBCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Monday at the organization's weekly luncheon at Harry's Plaza Cafe. The award was presented by SBART President Bryan Cornet.

On the court, Steinert has been an integral member of the program's success over the past two years. At the time of publication, the Vaqueros are preparing for their second consecutive 3C2A Semifinal after winning a Northern Region championship—Santa Barbara's first conference championship since 2005.

Individually, he ended his freshman year with 158 digs, the fourth-most in a season in program history. As the Vaqueros season continues, the captain currently sits at 171 digs and counting.

Head coach Bridget Kulesh summed up Steinert's leadership: "Luke leads through his composure in high-pressure moments, his commitment to holding both himself and his teammates to a high standard, and his ability to bring energy and clarity when our team needs it most—even delivering the occasional inspirational speech during timeouts."

Academically, the Walnut Creek native will stay in Santa Barbara after ending his Vaquero career later this week. Steinert will attend UC Santa Barbara this fall.

"Luke stands out as one of the hungriest and most driven players on our team," Kulesh said. "I'm incredibly excited to see him compete [on Thursday]."

Steinert and the Vaqueros play Long Beach—the hosts of the State Tournament—on Thursday at 7 p.m. With a win, they will play in the Championship on Saturday night.

SBCC would like to thank Marc Gamberdella of the Gamberdella-Spruill Group of Merrill Lynch for sponsoring the award, Harry's Plaza Cafe for hosting, and luncheon sponsors Maho Prentice LLP, Investec, and Fidelity National Title Group.

Read more about the luncheon and award in the Noozhawk article.