BOLSA GRANDE volleyball coach and athlete Kiera Duran were among those recognized Tuesday by the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education (GGUSD photo).

Athletes and Coaches of Character from each of the Garden Grove Unified School District’s seven comprehensive high schools were recognized by the Board of Education on Tuesday.  The coaches and student athletes represent a wide variety of sports and help develop and enrich GGUSD athletics.

“We know that athletics help make the high school experience memorable and rewarding and our Athletes and Coaches of Character play a significant role in that,” said Lan Nguyen, board president.

The Athletes of Character are student scholars who excel in academics, serve as leaders in their sport, and are role models in their schools.  Honored were:

• Bolsa Grande: Kiera Duran, volleyball and basketball
• Garden Grove: Ruben Mendoza, football
• La Quinta: Peter Vu, football
• Los Amigos: Viviana Flores, girls soccer
• Pacifica: Daniel Benavides, football and track
• Rancho Alamitos: Adam Angel, cross country and track
• Santiago: Samuel Garcia-Merino, cross country and track

The Coaches of Character have helped develop CIF league champions and teach students important skills like determination and confidence. Honored were:

• Bolsa Grande: Rebecca Young, volleyball
• Garden Grove: Eric Henninger, water polo and swimming
• La Quinta: Andy Diaz, football
• Los Amigos: Cassidy Abad, girls soccer
• Pacifica: Randy Franzman, football and baseball
• Rancho Alamitos: Lonnie Pyle, cross country and track
• Santiago: Brandon Croft, football and wrestling.