High School Sports:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

N’Jiaye Bonwell and D’Andre Smith recently stopped by campus to pick up their cap and gown.

This coming Tuesday, the Saints duo will also receive a diploma that will recognize their four years of excellence in the classroom.

But what they didn’t know when collecting their graduation attire is that the school had chosen Smith and Bonwell as San Dimas High’s 2019-20 boys and girls athletes of the year, respectively.

And as impressive as they were on the volleyball court and baseball field, Bonwell and Smith are equally accomplished students and even better young adults.

N’Jiaye Bonwell led the San Dimas volleyball program to three consecutive Valle Vista League titles and was the Saints three-time (team) MVP.

She was also named the 2019 VVL MVP this past season as well.

During her three-year run for Coach Diane Chiappone, San Dimas went 66-23 overall and 28-2 in Valle Vista League matches.

As soon as things get back to normal, Bonwell will play for Hall of Fame coach Dave Rubio at the University of Arizona.

Her career in volleyball, let alone stardom, was anything but a given.

“I went out for volleyball in the eighth grade, got hurt and only played two games,” she said. “I needed something to do and something told me to give it another shot. So, I tried out again, made the team my freshman year, and fell in love with the sport.”

Despite being just 5-foot-7, Bonwell is what her coach believes to be the best outside hitter in school history, and she’s also been known to compete against her male counterparts.

“When she started her varsity career during her sophomore year, N’Jiaye was a big ball of strength,” Chiappone said. “She honed up on her hits and control and became the best outside hitter that San Dimas has ever seen. She focused on every aspect of the game, because she isn’t tall. She wanted to play Division 1 volleyball and through her hard work, N’Jiaye will do just that. She’s humble, a quiet leader and her teammates have always looked up to her. She set the bar for this program and was a very good role model for her teammates.”

Her parents, Jeremy and Buchansha Graves Bonwell, deserve a lot of credit for the incredible young woman their daughter has become.

Bonwell finished her time at San Dimas with a 3.8 GPA and she wants to be an orthopedic surgeon when her playing career is over.

Bonwell also played club volleyball in La Verne during the offseason.

She was not only the go-to girl in huge moments, Bonwell also took seriously the role of being the experienced and accomplished teammate that younger players could come to for advice.

And her coach said Bonwell displayed the work ethic and character that she hopes rubbed off on all of her teammates.

We asked Bonwell to comment on her parents impact and her experience at San Dimas.

“I would not be here without the love and guidance of my parents,” she said. “I’ve always tried to stay a step ahead of my peers by focusing on the mental aspect of things, and that included my career in volleyball. They emphasized to do all the right things in life and made me understand how important an education is to my success. I also want to thank my coaches and teammates for all the great experiences I had at San Dimas. I hope my teammates remember me as someone who was always willing to help them in any way I could and that I always worked hard.”

D’Andre Smith is also a really impressive kid.

He’s bright, humble, versatile, selfless and has an outstanding work ethic.

Smith is also a tough dude.

It took just one week after surgery to repair a broken jaw in February for Smith to be back in action for the Saints.

Over his four-year run, San Dimas went 77-17 overall and 30-2 in Valle Vista League games.

He was the VVL MVP in 2019 and the Saints claimed the outright league championship in both 2017 and 2019, and shared the top spot with Northview in 2018.

The four-year varsity stud finished his career with 101 hits, 78 runs, 56 RBIs and 29 doubles.

And keep in mind, Smith’s senior season ended after just seven games in 2020.

He played several infield positions, but it was at shortstop where he felt most at home.

Smith will play in 2021 for USC.

He finished his senior year with a 3.7 GPA, and much like Bonwell, Smith has tremendous role models for parents.

His father, Diego, is an administrator for developmentally disabled adults and his mom, Sharon, works in hospice care.

“My parents raised me the right way and taught me to be a respectful kid,” he said. “I watch them get up for work every morning, whether they’re feeling well or not, and they’ve always provided for our family. I feel very fortunate to have such great parents and they’re the reason I turned out the way I did.”

San Dimas coach Mike Regan raved about his star shortstop.

“D’Andre is a great and humble kid,” Regan said. “He’s a leader on the field and how D went, is how San Dimas went. He was that important and he was always willing to help in any way he could, including on the mound from time to time. I am so proud of him for having tremendous character and being an all-around great human being.”

Smith said he hopes his younger teammates remembered him as a kid that cared about the team’s success before his own, and that he wanted to be known as a great teammate, like Smith said San Dimas captain Joseph Bahna was to him during his freshman year.

San Dimas couldn’t have possibly picked two better athletes, students or people to represent their school than Bonwell and Smith.

Quotable:

San Dimas athletic director, Mark Holman: “Both D’Andre and N’Jiaye are true Saints and have always represented the name on the front of their shirt well. They will be deeply missed and hard to replace.”

D’Andre Smith career stats:

2020: .333, three hits, four runs, three RBIs, double, triple

2019: .409, 38 hits, 27 runs, 18 RBI’s, 12 doubles, triple, HR

2018: .393, 44 hits, 30 runs, 26 RBIs, 12 doubles, two triples, HR

2017: .314, 16 hits, 17 runs, nine RBIs, four doubles

Career: .362, 101 hits, 78 runs, 56 RBIs, 29 doubles, four triples, two home runs