Lauren Castro and Matt Penyacsek graduated from Gilroy High on June 11, but their names are forever enshrined in the school’s history.
Both Castro and Penyacsek were instrumental in bringing championship glory to the Mustangs and rose above all odds to do it. And that’s why Castro and Penyacsek are the 2015 Gilroy Dispatch Athletes of the Year from Gilroy High.
Banners of adorn the Bob Hagen Memorial Gym marking the duo’s plethora of accomplishments. As a sophomore, Castro led the Mustangs in winning the Central Coast Section Division II championship, notching just the second title in school history. The team entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed and let nothing stand in its way of the crown—not even the No. 1 seeded softball perennial powerhouse Archbishop Mitty.
“We beat all odds in 2013. Beating Mitty and then winning CCS was probably one of the best memories for softball,” Castro said with a smile.
The senior ace was named Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division’s Most Valuable Pitcher of the Year honor for her performance in the circle this season. She pitched all but one game for the Mustangs, racked up 153 strikeouts and boasted a stellar 2.60 ERA.
Castro, who got her start with Gilroy Little League, said it’s taken a lot of dedication and sacrifice to become the elite pitcher that she is today.
“You have to do lots of practicing,” she said of playing with Gilroy. “Working on specifically what position you want to play is really important, too.”
For Castro and her softball team, the CCS championship was a thrilling feat. But given the Mustangs reputation in wrestling, winning CCS has become an expectation for Penyacsek and his Gilroy team.
Penyacsek has been a part of the historically dominant Mustangs team and helped them to 13 consecutive CCS titles. He’s a two-time sectional champion and took fifth at the California Interscholastic Federation State Wrestling Championships in 2014 and 2015.
The Mustangs broke the CCS team point title in 2014 with a team that featured state champions Nikko Villarreal and Paul Fox. Though they were favored to win again this year, they exceeded expectations by surpassing the team point total once again for a new CCS record.
But maintaining that high level of performance is no easy task.
Penyacsek said he’s made a lot of sacrifices since starting his wrestling career with the Gilroy Hawks as a tot. While school comes before everything else, wrestling was right up there as a priority for him. Getting to indulge in other teenage activities, he said, unfortunately fell by the wayside.
“It’s a lot of hard work and staying long after practice to really work on your technique,” Penyacsek said. “It’s been really hard.”
And life is not about to get any easier for him.
Penyacsek and his twin brother Mark, leave for California State University, Bakersfield on June 30 to start their collegiate careers. Matt said he’s excited to embark on the next chapter of his life and will take the lesson he’s learned here with him.
“I learned how to prioritize and keep what I want first. I guess how to have fun a little bit, too. I had some fun while I was here—believe it or not,” Matt said with a laugh.
Castro will head to Canisius College in New York to play for it’s renowned softball program and pursue a degree in criminal psychology.
Though she’ll be nearly 3,000 miles from the Garlic Capital, Castro said she’ll always keep a part of the city with her.
“I’m excited, but it’s kind of scary to know that we’re going off to the real world, but I think I’ll do OK,” Castro said. “I’ve made lots of very good friends that will be my friends forever.”
