Katie von Behren
Staff Writer
Among the hundreds of athletes who compete for the Costa athletics program, Abby Hong and Jahlani Tavai led the stampede over the past four years and were recognized as Athletes of the Year at the All Awards Ceremony on May 28.
For the past four years, Hong has demonstrated her talent as a member of the cross country team in the fall and the track team in the spring. In 2013, Hong qualified for the Footlocker National Track Meet in San Diego as one of 40 runners selected from throughout the country. She also won the individual Bay League title that same year for cross country.
“Running has always been my escape,” Hong said. “It is exciting to be recognized for something I love, especially after dedicating so much of my time to improve.”
Hong committed to the University of Pennsylvania for track and cross country. She hopes to improve before the collegiate season begins and qualify for the travel team. Also, Hong wants to participate in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200- meter races.
“It is an honor to receive the award considering the others candidates,” Hong said. “Jordan Raney and Camille Mills are great athletes.”
As a multi-sport athlete, Tavai participated in football, volleyball and rugby. He has led the Costa football team for all four years as the starting nose-guard and has competed with the varsity volleyball team for the past two years as the middle blocker. Tavai plays for the Griffins Southern California club rugby team as well as the USA national rugby squad and was captain of the first Costa rugby team, founded last year.
“All of these sports are very important to me because they allow me to show my athleticism while staying out of trouble,” Tavai said. “It means a lot to me to make my parents proud. To see them smile at all of the sporting events motivates me to work hard and accomplish my goals.”
This year in football, Tavai received All-League, All-Area and All-California Interscholastic Federation honors. For rugby, he received All-State and All-American honors and won the CIF championship as a part of Costa’s team. In the fall, Tavai will attend the University of Hawaii on a football scholarship, and he plans to continue playing either football or rugby professionally in the future.
“This award means a lot to me because I feel like it was passed down from my older brother JR who won it his senior year,” Tavai said. “It is also exciting because it is really my last big accomplishment in high school before I head off to college.”
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