northwood high school
Natalie Keith
Softball, flag football
The 2026 Pacific Coast League female athlete of the year was a standout on the Northwood varsity softball team for four years and the flag football squad for three seasons. While maintaining a 4.1 GPA, Keith has earned a full-ride scholarship in softball to the University of Arizona. In softball as a senior, the shortstop led Northwood to the CIF-SS final and was named league MVP. In her junior year, Keith led the flag football team to the program’s first CIF-SS championship and was named player of the year for Division 2. She made first team all-league her senior year. “Winning a CIF championship and helping build a strong culture within our programs are experiences I’ll always be grateful for,” she says.
Northwood High School
Andrew Maksymowski
Swimming
The 2026 Pacific Coast League male athlete of the year was a standout varsity swimmer all four years. A champion in three events his junior year, he led the Timberwolves to the CIF state championship. As a senior, Maksymowski led the Timberwolves to a second-place finish in the CIF state meet and was on the first-place 400 freestyle relay team. He won Division 1 titles in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events and anchored the Timberwolves’ championship 400 relay team. He’s proud of the second state title in Northwood’s history. A scholar-athlete, Maksymowski has a 3.71 GPA and will attend USC on a swim scholarship. His advice? “Fear can seem impossible to overcome, but if you just push that barrier, you’ll find that it’s just a mindset.”
More student-athlete standouts
Amelia Booth
Portola High: Basketball, flag football
Booth set the school record for steals with 140 and was selected to the Orange County Register’s all‑county team this season. She earned All-Pacific Coast League honors twice and was selected for the OC All-Star Basketball Game. Booth also played flag football. She will play basketball at Saddleback College.
Brayden Tallakson
Woodbridge High: Tennis
Tallakson was the team captain for two years and was a key part of the program’s historic CIF Division 1 championship title run during his junior year. He captured the Ojai CIF doubles championship as a freshman, was a finalist his senior year and league MVP three consecutive years. He has a scholarship to Boise State University.
Summer Wilson
Irvine High: Cross‑country, track
Wilson was a standout cross‑country and track athlete for Irvine. She was the 2025 CIF state cross‑country champion and set the all-time fastest time at the state course. She was also All-CIF in track for four seasons and the league champion in the 3,200 run. She will join the cross‑country and track teams at Duke University.
Makhi Czaykowski
Beckman High: Football
Czaykowski led Beckman’s team to the first CIF football title in school history in 2025. He was the CIF Division 8 player of the year and MVP in the Lambda League after leading the Patriots to the league title. He rushed for 1,941 yards and had 813 yards in receiving.
Mady Nolan
Woodbridge High: Lacrosse
Nolan was captain of the girls lacrosse team, which went 19-1 overall, 8-0 in league and earned the No. 2 seed in the CIF playoffs. A four-year starter with more than 400 career goals scored, Nolan was a three-time All-CIF player and earned All-America honors. She will play at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Cole Barkett
University High: Soccer, volleyball
Barkett was a three-year starter for the boys soccer team that won the CIF-SS, Southern Regional and CIF State championships in 2026. In 2025, he was also a first team all-league selection in volleyball and first team all-league in soccer. He will play volleyball at UCLA.
