Serenity Fausto, Fernando Toscano named Santa Fe Springs Athletes of the Year
Serenity Fausto and Fernando Toscano were named as Santa Fe High School’s Athletes of the Year. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
SANTA FE SPRINGS – After a successful senior season, both Serenity Fausto and Fernando Toscano highlighted their final year at Santa Fe High School with the top athletic achievement for the 2024-’25 Athletes of the Year Award.
Serenity, who also played basketball in her first three years, eventually starred on the track and in long distance running, while Fernando, better known as Fernie, spent his entire four years on the mat, wrestling for coach Anthony Romero. He did, however, try football in his freshman year, but decided to concentrate on wrestling.
“Serenity and Fernie are true examples of what it means to be a Chieftain athlete,” Santa Fe athletic director Jennifer Hughes said. “I am proud to be able to give them the award of Athlete of the Year.”
The announcements came at the Farewell Assembly in the gymnasium.
“I was shocked, honestly, when I found out I got athlete of the year,” said Fausto, who will continue her running career at Biola University in the Fall. “My parents and my family were at the assembly, but I didn't know they were going because of me and that they knew I was getting the award.
“When my name got called, I was so happy and honestly just felt unreal going up to Mrs. Hughes to get the award. It was pure joy that I felt. The thought about getting the award had been on my mind with how much I achieved, but I knew I didn't need it and was going to be happy even if I didn't get athlete of the year. My parents were super emotional when I went to go hug them and see them with the award in my hands. They are my biggest fans and supporters every day, and nothing would have happened without them. So, it was such a special and sentimental moment of accomplishment and being proud of me that I got to share with them.”
Toscano, who just recently received a scholarship offer for Hope International University in Fullerton, was just as emotional with the announcement.
“When I got chosen for male athlete of the year I was surprised and I was so happy,” he said. “When the assembly started, my girlfriend’s mom and my best friends’ mom were both there too, and I thought it was a little weird. But I still didn’t know. But when they called my name, I cried because I was so happy and proud of myself for getting this award. When I was up there, I looked at my family, friends, and my wrestling coach because they are the ones that helped me get that far.”
Serenity Fausto
“It was like an unreal moment getting it,” she said. “It was really a joyful moment, a super accomplishment.”
Fausto played basketball her first two years before she entered the world of running. But before she started running competitively, she became the MVP on the junior varsity in basketball as a sophomore and made varsity in her junior year.
“Going into my junior year I started cross country for the first year that summer and absolutely loved it,” she said. “I was going to cross country practice and basketball right after almost every day because I loved both sports so much and couldn't choose just one.”
After playing two years of basketball, a short conversation changed her future athletic career.
It didn’t really hit her, as much as a subtle comment by her boyfriend Benny Zamora, who was a cross country runner that simply said, “‘I think you should try it (running cross country).’”
Fausto, who actually was contacted by former track and field coach Vet earlier in the year when he tried to recruit her, told him she only plays basketball.
But that summer she changed her focus.
“The summer before my junior year I started running,” explained Fausto. “I really liked it and I was playing basketball and running for cross country all summer long. I just really liked running and once I started running in cross country I thought ‘maybe I’m pretty good at this.’
“I always loved running in basketball and loved the sport along with the amazing coaches who pushed me every day and allowed the sport to be fun and enjoyable. All of my basketball coaches, Andrew Reyna, (head coach Jackie Reyna), Drew, Reina, Coronado, Carlos, they all get some credit for helping me become the athlete I am and pushing me to my limits, never letting me give up.”
She had an amazing first year of cross country in her junior year, placing in the top 10 of every race, was second in the Del Rio League, making it to CIF in both track and cross country, and then falling short of making it to state in cross country.
“I played my first year on varsity for basketball in my junior year and decided that was going to be my last year and trained full time running,” she added. “My senior cross country season was truly only God working through me and using me for His glory.”
Her first race of the season was a school record, which she beat by 30 seconds. She went on to win five more races, was the DRL Champion, All-CIF SS, Runner of the year, Most Valuable Runner, become the School Record Holder in the 3-mile & 5k, and make it to the state meet placing 11th in D3.
“Coach (Erik) Mallory started cross country the same year as I did and we learned the sport together,” said Fausto. “I wouldn't have had it any other way and am so beyond grateful for him.
“One of my favorite moments was when I qualified for state. I had fallen on the floor after the finish line and Coach OsamahHassan ran over to pick me up and tell me I had made it and was going to be okay.”
Coach O, as he was called, was known to have some brutal workouts, but always thought extremely highly of all of his runners and always had their best interests in mind.
She went on to win Del Rio League champion in the 1600 and 3200 in track and make it to CIF and fell short of advancing to the next round of CIF.
Coach Mallory said of Fausto, “I first started working with Serenity in June 2023,” he said. “This was the beginning of her first year running cross country and my first coaching the sport.
“She finished her junior year as the Del Rio League runner-up and led her team to a CIF appearance, where she individually advanced to CIF Finals in her first competitive year.
“Individually she qualified for CIF- Finals and perhaps my favorite athletic memories of working with Serenity during this race. I was always concerned with how Serenity would do when faced with a real close race since she was always so far out ahead of her opponents. In the CIF Finals, I found out she did have a kick passing a girl in the last 30 meters (an athlete who had beat her the week earlier in the Prelims) to earn the final individual spot for the State Meet.”
Coach Geren said of Fausto, “She was an outstanding teammate and representative of the track community. At practice, she was always one of the hardest working athletes on the team.
Serenity as a junior: “It was quickly apparent to me that Serenity was one of those "special" athletes that got better every time she raced,” Geren said. “When track season rolled around, she was one of our best competitors (800m, 1600m, 3200m). She made it all the way to C.I.F. Division 2 prelims.”
Serenity as a senior: “In track and field, Serenity was awesome,” added Geren. “She did not lose a preseason or league dual meet race. She won a few of her "invitational" races (which are very competitive and the best of the best run in these). She again made it to C.I.F. Division 2 prelims and ran into some bad luck when her foot got tangled with another athlete's foot which knocked them both out of the race (thus ending her season).”
Fernando Toscano
“I was excited because of all the hard work I put into the sport,” said Toscano of the award. “It finally paid off.
Toscano dabbled in football in his freshmen, but his main sport for all four years was wrestling.
“My little brothers were my motivation for everything,” he said. “I wanted to set an example for them on how to do everything right. They realized it.
“My little brother is a stud.”
Toscano said of Santa Fe Wrestling coach Anthony Romero, “He is a father-figure to me. It’s pretty big. He’s always helped me through everything, especially when I needed advice. He always gave me motivation and the right conversation.
“With all of the stuff I was going through, I would hit him up and I said to him, ‘hey coach, I need to talk.’”
Romero said of Toscano, “Fernando Toscano has been a 4-year varsity wrestler,” Romero said. “With his IEP and circumstances, Fernando has given this program everything he has to offer.
“The last couple of years, he has been struggling with homelessness, but with assisted living, he had a home in Alhambra during his senior year. He is truly the man of the house, helping his mom and three siblings.
“He would bus every day to school, but first dropping off his brothers, and then will walk to pick them up to take the bus back home.
“Fernie will humbly take the buses to far tournaments and back home on his own, sometimes the first one there and last to leave. Hotel tournaments were a luxury for him to truly enjoy being a kid. Fernando wanted to enlist in the Marines this summer but feels the weight of helping his family will keep him home. He thought about attending Rio Hondo to wrestle but has accepted a scholarship to wrestle at Hope University College in Fullerton.”
Toscano completed his high school career with an impressive, 128-38 record, which included a near-perfect, 23-1 Del Rio League record.
His accolades this past year include: DRL MVP, Chiefs Best Recipient (Team MVP), All Area Team at 215 Lbs., 6th at Masters, CIF Finalist and 2nd at CIF SS Inland Division.
Included in this past years’ success for Toscano
Overall, he was a 4-time CIF Placer, 4-time CIF Qualifier and 2-time Regional Qualifier.
In league, Toscano was a 4-time finalist and a 3-time Individual Champion, winning in 2022, ’24 and ’25.
As a part of the team over the last four years, the Chiefs were 4-time CIF Dual Team Qualifiers, 24’ and 25’ CIF Dual Team Finalists (Back-to-Back Finalists) and 23’ Dual Team Semi-Finalist. Their overall dual team record was 69 Wins, 8 losses, 2 ties.
In the DRL, they were 4-time Dual Team Champions with an undefeated 16-0 record.
In 2024, they were fifth in the Central Division, seventh in the Central in ’23 and eighth in the Southern in ’22.
Highlighting his senior season was a phenomenal 44-9 individual record, which included 38 pins, and he was ranked No. 31 in the 215 Lb. weight class. As a team, they finished with a 20-3-1 record.
Toscano had three Individual tourney wins at John Glenn, Norwalk, which included an MVP and first at Monrovia. He finished second at Nogales, Damien and Rosemead and placed third at Downey.
As a team, the Chiefs grapplers won the Monrovia Duals and finished second at Norwalk and Rosemead.
In his junior season, Toscano was 31-12 and was a Masters Qualifier, finishing 32nd out of 566 wrestlers and finished fifth in the CIF Northern Division. As a team, they finished with a near-perfect 22-1 dual record, which includes second place finishes at Norwalk, Arroyo and JEM tourneys.
His sophomore season saw him with his least amount of losses with six against 28 wins, and he had first place wins at Cerritos, Mayfair, Norwalk and Downey.
He started his high school career as a freshman with 25 wins and won the John Glenn dual. He also had third place at Montclair.
A big part of his success started with Romero, who was his only coach.
Romero came into the program when Toscano was a freshman.
Romero was a star wrestler at Santa Fe when he attended the Santa Fe Springs campus.
“I was his first team,” Fernie explained. “We all have put our heart and soul into this team. From the team to then and how it is now a big turn-around. We were struggling to make a whole roster and now we had over 100 kids turn out.
The wrestling program has a few athletes of the year, in addition to Toscano.
“From last year, we have turned the program around,” he added. “In my freshman year we made the CIF duals, but we were out in the first round.
“My goal was to get a scholarship to Iowa State,’ Toscano said. “That was my real goal. It’s crazy to think I wasn’t going to graduate to now going to a university. My mom is excited for me. It feels good to think I’m the only one (in the family) actually going to a university.
“I feel really good right now.”
What they said:
Erik Mallory, SF Cross Country Head coach: “When I first met Serenity, she was already doing her training runs with the varsity boys team. By the time we started competing it was very evident that she was special. Her friends convinced her to come out for cross country, and she soon realized she had a gift.
She had a focused and intense training regime that really showed when she competed as a senior.”
Michael A. Geren SF Track & Field Head coach: “She was an outstanding teammate and representative of the track community. At practice, she was always one of the hardest working athletes on the team.
Serenity is a competitor. She has a lot of fight in her, which is a quality all coaches love in their athletes. It will be hard to replace her athleticism, but it's going to be harder to replace her competitive spirit.”