Palos Verdes and Peninsula Athletes Are Really Smart, Too

Finding out who’s tops in high school sports is only a score sheet away. But which teams are first when it comes to smarts? The CIF Southern section announced the names Wednesday.

Palos Verdes and Peninsula high schools acquitted themselves well, with three first-place awards for teams from Palos Verdes and two from Peninsula.

The CIF team awards, based on a cumulative grade point average, are awarded in 22 sports, according to the CIF. To be considered, teams must have a minimum 3.0 GPA average (on a 4.0 scale) in college-prep courses in the first semester of the 2013-14 school year.

The highest team GPA in each sport determines the winner. Schools are divided into two enrollment categories, 1,500 students and above and 1,499 and below.

Congrats to the following Patch town winners:

• Baseball: Palos Verdes, 3.59 (larger schools)
• Baseball: Crossroads, 3.61(Santa Monica, smaller schools)
• Cross country, boys: Sierra Canyon, 3.86 (Chatsworth, smaller schools)
• Cross country, girls: Newport Harbor, 3.89 (larger schools)
• Cross country, girls: La Salle, 3.91 (Pasadena, smaller schools)
• Football: Corona del Mar, 3.35 (larger schools)
• Golf, girls: San Juan Hills, 3.88 (San Juan Capistrano, larger schools)
• Soccer, boys: Palos Verdes, 3.52
• Softball: Peninsula, 3.69 (Rolling Hills Estates, larger schools)
• Swimming, girls: Pasadena, 3.82 (larger schools)
• Tennis, boys: Peninsula, 3.79
• Volleyball, boys: Crossroads, 3.8
• Water polo, girls: Palos Verdes, 3.73
• Water polo, girls; Webb, 3.82 (Claremont, smaller schools)
• Wrestling, boys: Temecula Valley, 3.6 (larger schools)

Palos Verdes also had a second-place finish with the boys’ cross country team (3.76 GPA), fifth place in football (3.19), fourth place in girls’ soccer (3.64), second place in girls’ swimming (3.81 … missed first by .01), second place in boys’ track and field (3.53), fourth place boys’ water polo (3.51).

Peninsula also had some top 2-4 finishes in baseball (third place, 3.57), boys’ basketball (fourth place, 3.51), football (third place, 3.26), boys’ soccer (third place, 3.43), girls’ soccer (third place, 3.67), boys’ volleyball (third place, 3.61), boys’ water polo (second place, 3.56) and girls’ water polo (third place, 3.68).