Central Catholic sophomore Abby Castillon named Bee’s Fall Athlete of the Year
In fifth grade, Central Catholic sophomore Abby Castillon tried out for a local club volleyball team.
“I was so bad and had no clue I would make the team,” she said.
Fast forward a couple of years and Castillon is one of the best players in the Stanislaus District and helped lead the Raiders to a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Championship on Nov. 9.
“We knew we had most of our team back from last year and it was our time,” Castillon said.
Castillon, who led the Raiders with 466 kills, is the Bee’s Fall Athlete of the Year.
Led by Castillon, who coach Michelle Springmeyer said played her best volleyball during the end of the season, the Raiders (30-9), in addition to the section title, advanced to the CIF State NorCal Division II Final where they lost to Los Gatos.
“It was pretty much unforgettable,” Castillon said. “The whole school was supporting us.”
After a superb freshman season that saw her led the team in multiple categories, Castillon was named to the 2018 MaxPreps UnderClass All-American Team.
With that added accolades, Castillon said she liked the challenge of going against defenses who were focusing on her.
“It was fun to see teams set up defense against me,” she said. “After shaking coaches hands (after the game), they’d say they put their best players on me. It helped me find a way to see the game differently.”
Castillon attributed the team’s chemistry to the success this year. The squad included her sister, Hannah, who is a junior.
Abby said she loved playing with her sister even though they did get frustrated with each other at some points.
“It’s always a competition but friendly,” Abby said. “You always want to beat someone but maybe it’s not the best it’s my sister.”
After Central Catholic’s season concluded, Abby said she had two weeks off before club practice began with Rage Volleyball.
“It’s pretty cutthroat,” Abby said about the Rage environment. “They don’t let you slack off ever but I love the competitive energy. They really know how to push you.”
Castillon said the two weeks off allowed her to heal a back injury, but she was anxious to get back on the court.
Around campus, Castillon said she likes to make everyone laugh and loves talking to people.
One of her favorite classes is her art class and she enjoys listening to Hall & Oats with her dad and country music with her mom.
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| Sport | Name | School | Year | Note |
| Boys Cross Country | Adin Dribble | Sonora | Sophomore | Dribble finished 20th in the Division IV race at the CIF State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 30. His best time of the year came at the Woodbridge Classic on Sept. 21 when he finished in 14 minutes, 51 seconds. |
| Girls Cross Country | Madison Kackley | Gregori | Junior | Kackley finished 5th in the Division I race at the CIF State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 30. She won eight of 10 races this year. |
| Girls Golf | Andrea York | Oakdale | Senior | York finished 3-over par and helped lead the Mustangs to a team title at the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Championships on Oct. 21. She shot 4-over par at the Masters Tournament the following week and had the lowest score among Stanislaus District golfers. |
| Girls Tennis | Alyssa Tay | Enochs | Junior | Tay won the singles title at the Central California Athletic League Finals and advanced to the second round of the section’s Division I individual tournament. |
| Boys Water Polo | Stash Perry | Oakdale | Senior | Perry was named the Valley Oak League’s Most Valuable Player and helped the Mustangs win a Division III section title over El Capitan on Nov. 16. He was also named MVP of the North vs. South All-Star Game on Nov. 23 at Turlock High School. |
| Girls Water Polo | Megan Slater | Sonora | Junior | Slater had 155 goals this year and helped lead the Wildcats to their third straight section championship. Slater had seven goals in Sonora’s 16-7 win over Kimball in the Division III Championship on Nov. 16. She has 356 career goals. |
