Ryan ChartrandFret not, Poly player lovers; there are more incoming athletes to be highlighted. And if the following player summaries still don’t satisfy your fix, lucky you, there’s another installment still to come.
Madeline Fletcher – Women’s Golf
Los Alamitos, Calif. native Fletcher, 18, has been golfing competitively for six years, after her grandparents introduced her to the sport. In that six years, Fletcher earned accolades in her high school district and surrounding areas. She was named the Southern California PGA Player of the Year in 2003 and was placed in the Lakewood Hall of Fame, honoring top athletes in the district, her sophomore, junior and senior years of high school. At Cal Poly, Fletcher is looking to further hone her golfing skills and make a significant contribution to the team.
Geoff Gonzalez – Men’s Golf
Like Fletcher, Gonzalez’s grandpa was his first link to the sport of golf, which he has been playing for 12 years. The Most Valuable Player in his high school league in Diablo, Calif., Gonzalez, 18, chose Cal Poly because of its academic reputation and successful golf team. He said he is looking forward to meeting new people and contributing to last year’s Big West Conference champion men’s golf team. “I just hope to add something to the team because they’ve been good, so I hope I can add something,” he said.
Kyle Maddux – Football
Maddux, 18, comes to Cal Poly from Camarillo, Calif., where he played for the three-time-in-four-years CIF football championship team at St. Bonaventure High School. In his time at St. Bonaventure, Maddux was named All-CIF and All-State and played with fellow Mustang footballers Carlton Gillespie and Ryan Fink. Maddux said his goals for his time at Cal Poly are to “play football and have a good time, but more importantly, to get my education.” He is prepared to red shirt his freshman year in order to prime himself for the following four years.
Krysten Cary – Softball
At her high school in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Cary led her team to the CIF playoffs with 6 homeruns and a .450 batting average for the season. Cary, who plays first base, was team captain her junior and senior years and was named First-Team All-League her final year. She said her decision to come to Cal Poly was aided by current Mustang softball player Stephanie Tam, who Cary knows from traveling softball teams. She said she is hoping to start in her first year at Cal Poly and “to be a good asset to the team as a freshman.”
Brittany Blalock – Women’s Tennis
Brittany comes to Cal Poly with the aim to “go far as an individual and help the team as a whole.” If her high school performances are any indication of what’s yet to come, Blalock should be in good shape. The 18-year-old was part of a 3-time league champion high school tennis team in her hometown of Rancho Mirage, Calif. During her sophomore, junior and senior years she dominated the league at singles and as a freshman she was part of a league-winning doubles pair. Blalock was an academic scholar as well, ranked 15th in her high school’s graduating class.