Dominating Pair: FRC's Chloe Albiez, Cuesta's Grant Huston Selected CCCSIA 2025-26 Athletes of the Year
Feather River women's volleyball extraordinaire Chloe Albiez and Cuesta record-breaking swimming giant Grant Huston are 2025-26 California Community College Sports Information Association State Athletes of the Year for all sports.
The two student-athletes shared similar achievements in excelling at the top level as both freshmen, then sophomores as they collected award after award.
The sports information association (CCCSIA) started the State AOTY honors in 2011-12. List of All Winners, click here
CCCSIA 2025-26 WOMEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Chloe Albiez, Sophomore, Feather River College/Volleyball/Indoor, Beach (Trinity High, Weaverville, Calif.)
Albiez, a 6-foot outside hitter, became just the third CCC player to ever be named AVCA National Player of the Year for 2-year colleges.
She helped Feather River make history in December of last year at Folsom Lake College when she was MVP of the first North Region team to ever win back-to-back 3C2A state championships.
Albiez is just just the fourth student-athlete in history to be selected the state tournament top player two straight years, joining elite 2-time MVP company in Orange Coast's Kiwi Winkler (2005-2006), and Golden West's Ashley Jensen (2002-2003) and Mariah Marquis (1996-1997).
She totaled 56 kills, 29 digs, and five aces in FRC's three tourney wins at the '25 state tourney. She led the state in overall kills with 513 in 38 matches, hitting .293, averaging 2.46 digs per set, and posting 55 blocks. Albiez scored double figures in kills 28 times.
In beach volleyball, Albiez helped Feather River earn third place at the state tourney as she was part of a pair that reached the 3C2A individual quarterfinals.
Under the direction of head coach Sarah Ritchie, Albiez helped the Golden Eagles achieve a 68-8 overall indoor record (.895 win percentage) in her two seasons. She earned a NCAA Division I scholarship to play/attend the University of Central Florida.
CCCSIA 2025-26 MEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Grant Huston, Sophomore, Cuesta College/Swimming/Water Polo (Gig Harbor High, Fox Island, Wash.)
At 6-foot-8 in height, Huston didn't just tower over other athletes, he basically dominated men's swimming for two straight seasons. He re-wrote the Cuesta record book, breaking a remarkable 17 school records in various events.
Last month at the 3C2A State Championships at Orange Coast College, Huston capped his career by breaking three state meet records in the 100, 200 and 400-yard individual medley events, the most versatile performance perhaps in the history of community college swimming. Huston was name the State Swimmer of the Meet for the second straight season (shared the award with two others in 2025).
Huston shattered the 400 IM record by seven seconds in a blistering 3:45.47 as he earned Men's Performance of the Meet Award.
Over his two seasons, he finished with the maximum six state meet gold medals (no swimmer is allowed to compete in more than three events as individuals) as the 6-time, All-American won the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle titles at the '25 championships.
In water polo, Huston was an All-Western State Conference First Team selection as a sophomore, helping the Cougars reach the WSC title game and earning a SoCal Playoff seed. He swam and played water polo under Cuesta head coach Greg Enloe.