The core requirement to enter the athletes’ wing of the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame is to have been an outstanding high school competitor in the greater Santa Barbara area. The four members of the 50th Hall of Fame class who were inducted Monday night certainly fit that bill, and three of them had noteworthy achievements in sports after their prep careers.
Gerardo Jimenez (Dos Pueblos High 1983), a CIF soccer player of the year, started for San Diego State in the 1987 NCAA championship game after scoring a goal that helped knock favored UCLA out of the tournament.
Mark Warkentin (San Marcos 1998), was undefeated in Channel League races throughout his prep swimming career, a four-time CIF champion, NCAA All-American at USC, and the first U.S. swimmer to compete in the open-water event at the Olympic Games in 2008.