October 2019 Athletes of the Month

Drake Nienow, Men's Cross Country

Nienow, a freshman from Westlake High, is the cross country team's number one runner through October. He was the Western State Champion leading his team to a second-place finish in the WSC final meet. He has improved every meet this season and has won his last two races.

"He has great work ethic and often trains at 5:30 in the morning due to a class conflict with calculus," men's cross country coach Kevin Smith said. "He is a team leader and leads by example."

Drake is currently being looking at running at Chico State or Cal Poly SLO. He currently is a
majoring in kinesiology and minoring in business in hopes to work in sports therapy. When not
training Drake enjoys surfing, working on his car and his 1980 CJ7 Jeep.

Sophia Cortina, Women's Cross Country

Cortina, a graduated from Camarillo High in 2018, has been instrumental in the success of the women's cross country team this season. She's won every community college race she's entered this year, including the WSC Championship. She's also raced in two races against 4-year universities where she placed in the top 10% of runners. 

Cortina is a 4.0 student majoring in psychology and plans to become a psychologist. She also plans to run in college, possibly at Loyola Marymount University.

She has been an active member of the Captain's Council for the past two years. When not running, she enjoys reading and playing guitar. She is an avid yoga enthusiast.

"She is a phenomenal role model on and off the field. Sophia challenges all to be better at whatever they do. She has a great future ahead of her," women's cross country coach Traycie Kephart said.