Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame inducts 7 new members

SANTA BARBARA, Ca. - A sold out Cabrillo Pavilion celebrated the induction of four athletes, a coach, a community leader and a longtime sports writer.

The 2023 class includes Alex Mack(San Marcos), Sami Hill(Dos Pueblos), Paula Charest Lilly(Bishop Diego), Jenna Ridgway Corliss(San Marcos), Greg Patton(Bishop Diego and UCSB), Harvey Bottlesen(San Marcos), John Zant(UCSB).

Mack graduated San Marcos in 2004 after dominating in football and wrestling.

He was a two-time All-American center at Cal-Berkeley and a first round choice in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

He retired in 2022 after 13 seasons that included seven Pro Bowl selections.

Sami Hill led Dos Pueblos High School to three straight CIF-SS girls water polo championships from 2008-2010.

She was an All-CIF goalie all four years at DP.

From there she was a standout at UCLA and won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2016.

Paula Charest Lilly led Bishop Diego girls basketball to back-to-back CIF-SS titles in 1977 and 1978.

She was a first-team All-CIF performer in 1978.

She held the Cardinals scoring record for 35 years before it was broken in 2013 and then again in 2015 by Paula's daughter Jordyn who also led Bishop to a CIF-SS crown.

Jenna Ridgway Corliss won Santa Barbara County cross-country and track titles in 2005 and 2006.

She qualified for the CIF State Championship in both sports as a junior.

She placed 9th in the Division 2 State Championship in cross-country.

Jenna Ridgway Corliss did both sports at Ivy League Brown University.

Greg Patton became the first men's tennis NCAA Division 1 coach to win Coach of the Year honors at two different schools (UC Irvine 1987 and Boise State 1997).

He retired at Boise State in 2018 as the fourth-winningest coach in NCAA Division history with 808 victories.

Harvey Bottlesen started the Santa Barbara Tennis Club and helped form the Santa Barbara Tennis Patrons.

His tireless efforts helped grow tennis in the community and produce athletes that have competed on the biggest stage in the sport.

John Zant has spent the past seven decades writing about sports in our community.

The award-winning journalist was hired in 1968 by Philip Patton at the Santa Barbara News-Press.

He covered our local athletes in seven Olympics.

From 1969-1995 Zant attended and reported on every Rose Bowl including the 1973 game featuring a 4 touchdown performance by Santa Barbara High School alum and USC star Sam Cunningham.

Zant was a champion for women's sports well ahead of almost every sports writer in the country.

One of his favorite teams to cover was UCSB women's basketball and their 9 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

In addition to the seven inductees, the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table honored 96-year old Bill Bertka with a Special Achievement Award.

He is an original founder of SBART and a former president.

He has been part of 11 NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant coach, scout and executive.

Bertka had a recent fall and was unable to attend the event but the award was presented to his daughters Britt and Kris.