The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table will be inducting seven new members into its Hall of Fame on Monday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m. The Induction Class of 2025 includes five athletes, a coach and a special achievement honoree.
This is the first in a series of stories about this year’s inductees.
To purchase tickets to the Hall of Fame event at the Cabrillo Pavilion, click here.
From attacking the goal at Bishop Diego to defending it at Westmont, Michele Romero made an impact on the soccer pitch in Santa Barbara throughout the 1990s.
After a decorated career as a midfielder and forward for the Cardinals that ended in 1996, Romero made the switch to defense and helped lead the Warriors to a national championship in 1999.
While she found plenty of success on the offensive end, Romero was asked to shift to defense after an injury to one of her teammates at Westmont. The rest was history, as she quickly adjusted and was named an All-American on the defensive end in 1998.
“As a player, personally, I think I am the proudest of being recruited as an offensive player and earning All-American honors as a defender,” Romero said. “I don’t think (head coach) Mike Giuliano had the intention of playing me as a defender. But then one game, someone got injured, and he asked if I wanted to play in the back. I said yes, and then from then on, I played in the right back position and even scored a few goals from there.”
During her time at Bishop Diego, Romero was a 2-time SB Athletic Round Table Girls Soccer Player of the Year, a 2-time All-Tri-Valley League First Team member and a three-time All CIF team member. She totaled 86 goals and 52 assists in her career.
At Westmont, she was a part of three GSAC champion teams from 1996 to 1998 and reached the NAIA National Tournament in all four years of her career from 1996 to 1999. She was named to the Far West Regional Team and was an All-American as a defender for the 1998 season.
“I attribute my versatility and willingness to my coach and Dad, Clarence Romero,” Michele Romero said. “He always stressed to me the importance of being a team player, oftentimes that meant I played forward, midfield and defense midfield.
“This made me a smart player, so when the opportunity presented itself, I was able to step up and eventually earned All-American honors as a defender.”
After her playing days were over, Romero returned to Bishop Diego for two seasons from 2003-2005 to serve as the head coach of the girls soccer team. The team excelled under her leadership and as a result, Romero was named the Tri-Valley League Coach of the Year in both seasons.
She has now worked as a labor and delivery nurse for 17 years, a position she believes is “perfect” for a team athlete.
“I have loved the profession and have been able to use so many of the character traits that I learned being an athlete,” Romero said. “I have even had the unique opportunity to be able to help former teammates and players through their own labor and childbirth. It has been such an honor.”