Long-time friends Maddie Lyon and Riley Pittman wrap up careers with top league awards

Maddie Lyon and Riley Pittman after graduating from Woodbridge in June. (Photo courtesy Lyon family)

Woodbridge High athletes Maddie Lyon and Riley Pittman, who have been friends since elementary school, capped their careers with top awards from the Pacific Coast League after stellar efforts in their respective sports.

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Lyon, a track and field standout, received PCL female athlete of the year honors while Pittman, a water polo star, was named male athlete of the year. The two were among top athletes honored by the Orange County Athletic Directors Association.

“We went to Stone Creek Elementary together and Lakeside (Middle School) and Woodbridge,” said Lyon, a track and field standout. “We kind of were friends through all of elementary and high school. We weren’t like really close buddies but we would hang out in groups so it’s really cool to see we both won the same award.

“I was also in volleyball, so all the volleyball girls would go to the water polo games right before our games, so that was really cool. And I know Riley came to a bunch of my volleyball games. I don’t know about track because it’s kind of a hard sporting event to go to because it’s just so long, but I know he came out a few times and he supported us and he was a part of ASB as well, so he brought signs, which was super cool.”

Pittman said he also appreciated the support Lyon provided along the way.

“It’s pretty special to know that we’ve been friends for that long and we graduated together and we were getting the same award together,” Pittman said. “If you had told me that back in elementary school, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

“It’s cool to see players from other sports because they understand exactly what you’re going through, they understand it takes and a lot of hard work in the classroom and in your sport. She’s just supported me and has been someone to talk to.”

Pittman said in an interview in June he was proud of leading Woodbridge to two consecutive Pacific Coast League water polo titles and he is looking forward to competing at Stanford.

“One of the biggest highlights of the high school season was winning the Pacific Coast League title,” he said. “That was the second year in a row and last year was the first time that Woodbridge has ever won a Pacific Coast League title in water polo so going back to back was pretty special.”

Lyon’s senior season was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic, but her achievements in previous years contributed to being named the league’s female athlete of the year. Lyon’s speciality was the triple jump, but she also captured league titles in 2019 in the high jump, long jump and 100-meter hurdles.

At the state meet in 2019, Lyon took sixth in the triple jump, which she said was one of her best memories.

Also during her junior year, Lyon also took first in the triple jump at the Orange County championships with a personal best 40-4 and captured seventh in the triple jump at the New Balance Indoor National Championships in Manhattan, NY in March.

Lyon made the ultimate commitment working out 12 to 14 hours a week to prepare for meets, and it paid off. Lyon has earned a scholarship to compete with the Oregon State University track and field team. She plans to major in kinesiology.

She said she loved the facility, the athletes and the coaches at the school.

Lyon said she expects to focus on the triple jump, but the Oregon State coach told her “I could probably check out high jump because they need some high jumpers, but as of now, it’s just going to be triple. They have a really good program.”

Her coach at the Leap Squad Track Club, Keinan Briggs, said he had confidence in Lyon ever since she joined the club seven years ago and is confident she will do well in college.

“She never even thought she could be that good,” Briggs said. “It took me five years to tell her, ‘Maddie, you’re really good, you’re going to be the face of the program.'”

Lyon said many have helped her in her career including Briggs.

“That was the main thing that got me to where I was because he was just such an amazing coach,” said Lyon. “And I look up to him a lot, because he’s not only a coach, but he’s also a mentor to a lot of kids.”

Others have helped too, she said.

“Aaron Craver (Woodbridge track and field coach) is a really good coach and I give him major props because he has 500 kids on the team and he has to deal with that,” Lyon said.

“He really helped me a lot and took his time to help me. And Alan Ho, my volleyball coach, was super supportive and he wasn’t hard on me because he knew I wasn’t a full-time volleyball player. That really helped me gain confidence. My parents are super supportive and I thank them every day for it.”

Now, Lyon and Pittman get ready for the next chapter of their lives.

“We will probably stay mutual friends for the rest of our lives,” Lyon said. “We willl see each other grow.”

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com