Everything seems to be falling in place for the Cal Poly’s women’s basketball team to have a historic season.
The team is coming off a regular season Big West title and signed a talented recruiting class that includes University of Nevada, Reno transfer Brittany Woodard.
Maybe the biggest reason for Mustang fans to be optimistic this season, however, is the return of senior forward Kristina Santiago. Santiago said she is confident that her senior season will be the best yet for both herself and her team, despite suffering a bruised neck diving for a ball last weekend. She will sit out against Pepperdine Wednesday but expects to be back soon after that. Injury is nothing new for Santiago.
Santiago was the 2009-10 Big West Player of the year, but she injured her knee in last season’s first game and watched the Mustangs from the bench for the remainder of the year.
“She was everything going into last season,” head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “She was the centerpiece of our team, and we had to adjust and players had to step up last season. We were a work in progress, but I was proud of how the team responded.”
As a junior, Santiago established herself as the best player in the Big West by averaging 19.6 points per game to go along with 8.4 rebounds a game. She scored in double figures in all 29 games that season, including a career-high 34 against Cal State Fullerton.
Now, there is great anticipation entering the season to see how quickly Santiago can regain her junior form.
“I feel really good, but I don’t think that I’m at 100 percent yet,” Santiago said before the season began. “I won’t know until the games start. You can run and do everything in practice, but I won’t get back to normal until I play in a game tempo.”
Santiago has had to compensate for her lack of mobility by becoming a smarter player.
“Right now, I’m a little slower than I was on defense,” Santiago said. “I’ve had to hold back a little bit and do a better job of anticipating passes and thinking ahead on defense.”
Santiago, from Righetti High School in Santa Maria, has improved every season she has played at Cal Poly.
In her first season she was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team. She shot a team high 49 percent from the field and started seven games. She became a full time starter as a sophomore, doubled her scoring average to 15 points per game and was named to the All-Big West First Team. Santiago was the best player in the Big West Conference during her junior season. Even after suffering the knee injury last season, Santiago approached the rehab as an opportunity to improve her game.
“I worked a lot on my perimeter game this off season,” Santiago said. “I also worked on my three-point shot. It’s not going to be my main focus, but I know that if I’m open I’ll definitely be able to knock it down this season.”
Santiago’s absence last season allowed other players to step up and define their roles on the team. Senior center Abby Bloetscher stepped up and led the Mustangs in rebounding with 7.6 rebounds per game and was named to the Big West second team. Also, junior forward Kayla Griffin filled in for Santiago and was second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and averaged 8 points per game. Both return this season and with the addition of Santiago, Cal Poly is expected to have the best front court in the Big West.
“(Bloetscher) had a tremendous season anchoring the middle for us,” Mimnaugh said. “And Kayla really stepped up and provided rebounding when Kristina went down. We look for both of them to put up great years.”
This season, Santiago said herself and her team have all the necessary parts to succeed this season.
“I think we can achieve all of our goals this season,” Santiago said. “We have enough talent to win the Big West and I would rather sacrifice the individual goals and awards if that means that we make the tournament.”
Mimnaugh shares her star player’s sentiments.
“We should win the championship,” Mimnaugh said. “The talent and experience is here and we think that we can make history this season.”