Cal Poly’s athletics director, Don Oberhelman, who will be starting his second full year this fall, expects the Mustangs to bring new success — in all sports.
Oberhelman is in charge of all of the officially sanctioned sports including soccer, football, baseball, softball and track and field. He said he believes every sport at Cal Poly is getting ready to compete for a championship.
Football, men’s cross country, women’s basketball and men’s tennis are the teams he is expecting the most from, he said.
“All four are more than capable of repeating as champions,” Oberhelman said. “As for the other sports that will improve upon last year, everyone has the opportunity and talent to contend. Our goal is to compete for the Commissioner’s Cup, which is the overall measure of our success in the Big West Conference.”
Cal Poly’s football squad trained for its season with two-a-day practices. The Mustangs plan to improve on what they did last year, going 6-5 overall and 3-1 in Great West play.
Defensive line coach Jamar Cain said he thinks the team is on a path to continue that success.
“At the end of the day we just need to start strong for a successful season,” Cain said.
The women’s basketball team, on the other hand, lost a few key leading scorers from a year ago, including Kristina Santiago, Ashlee Burns and Christine Martin. Santiago averaged 23.1 points, Burns averaged 9.2 and Martin averaged 7.6 points per game last year. After clinching a second consecutive regular season Big West Championship, the Mustangs were upset in the second round of the Big West Tournament in Anaheim.
Head coach Faith Mimnaugh said she believes, even though the three seniors will be missed, this year’s defensive presence will hopefully make up the scoring aspect. She said she is pleased that Oberhelman notices the women’s basketball team’s assets and holds the same hopes that the team does.
“I agree that we have the talent and, I hope, the chemistry to three-peat,” Mimnuagh said. “We will need several players to increase their scoring output to replace the scoring of (Santiago), Burns, and (Martin), but I feel like we will be a better team defensively, which could create some of the scoring we need.”
Along with the women’s basketball team, which is preparing to exceed the expectations of others this upcoming year, Cal Poly’s men’s soccer team also hopes to do the same.
However, just like the women’s basketball team, the men’s soccer team has lost five seniors who greatly contributed to the success of the team. Assistant coach Brian Reed said the seniors not only contributed on the field but to the community as well.
“They did so much for this program and we are very grateful for all their wonderful contributions on and off the field,” Reed said. “They were great ambassadors for Cal Poly soccer.”
In order to have another successful year, the Cal Poly men’s soccer team has recruited a strong class of freshmen which will help the team seek its first Big West Championship.
The Cal Poly softball team is hoping for success as well. After last year’s 13-36 record, the Mustangs are looking to surprise people. This includes junior Kim Westlund.
“This upcoming year is a new slate for us to show the talent that we have,” she said. “Our schedule this year will prepare us to bring home a championship.”
Overall, Oberhelman has high hopes for every sport at Cal Poly. He said he expects nothing but the best in the classroom, on the field and court. When he was asked which sport has a chance to be a surprise, he responded with no specific team.
“I really can’t answer that, as no one would surprise me by winning a championship,” Oberhelman said. “Our teams will compete with the best in Division I.”
As a result, Oberhelman hopes the student body in return will support the sports that are expected to do well this year and those that aren’t.
“We have NCAA Division I scholar-athletes representing Cal Poly, and these young people serve the student body every single day as their ambassadors,” Oberhelman said. “I hope they get great support from their fellow students this year.”
Editor’s note: Brittany Woodard is a reporter for the Mustang Daily and is also a senior forward on the Cal Poly women’s basketball team.