Courtesy Photos
Jacob Lauing
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Nearly 5,000 freshmen will join Cal Poly’s student body this fall.
These newborn Mustangs arrive with an average GPA of 3.88 — the highest for any freshman class in Cal Poly history.
And among this herd, a few freshmen have managed to make a name for themselves already. Not just with their brains, but with their brawn. Textbooks aside, the class of 2017 brings its fair share of talented young athletes.
One of these rookies is Cam Akins, a wide receiver on the Cal Poly football team. A graduate of Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, Akins caught 53 passes for 803 yards and four touchdowns as a senior in 2012. He earned second-team All-Mission League honors and was named Cathedral’s Athlete of the Year.
“We are excited about what he brings to us,” head football coach Tim Walsh said. “He’s been very impressive to watch the first couple practices because of his flat-out speed.”
Akins utilized that speed off the football field as well. The true freshman ran track-and-field at Cathedral, hurdling his way to the CIF-Southern Section Division III finals in 2012 and placing third in the 2013 state meet.
According to Walsh, Akins is in the mix to start this season, depending on his performance throughout the remainder of the preseason.
“We think he can contribute this year,” Walsh said. “We’re very excited about his future, but we’re also not taking very lightly his present.”
That being said, Walsh still acknowledges the impact Akins will have on the future of Cal Poly football.
“He’s got a chance to be a dominant player and dominate for a lot of years,” he said.
As with Akins, the future looks bright for freshman Taylor Gruenewald of the Cal Poly women’s volleyball program.
A four-year letter-winner at Carroll High School, Gruenewald led her team to a 47-4 record, captured the District and Area Championships and advanced to the Texas State Regional Semifinals as a senior.
“She has potential to have an impact on our program this year,” head coach Sam Crosson said. “She’s separated herself amongst the players at the moment.”
Gruenewald, who received an All-Texas Honorable Mention a year ago, has also dominated outside the gym.
The middle-blocker was named Academic All-State in 2012 and is a member of the National Honor Society, as well as Mu Alpha Theta, the math honor society.
“She has all of the personal intangibles that coaches love,” Crosson said. “She’s a tireless worker which is certainly part of the culture we want to have here at Cal Poly. She’s certainly someone that is the type of player that is going to make her teammates better.”
The Cal Poly volleyball team went 4-26 last season, which was barely good enough to avoid the basement of the Big West. Crosson will look to players like Gruenewald to steer the team in the right direction this year.
“I think her best volleyball is ahead of her,” Crosson said. “She’s going to be someone in this freshmen class who is going to have a big impact on our program in the future, just in terms of her interactions and leadership.”
While both Crosson and Walsh have their sights set squarely on one of their recruits, future success could come from a few different resources for the Cal Poly cross-country team.
Head coach Mark Conover rattled off a few rising stars in his program, but his recruiting is built around another concept: depth.
“Recruiting for us has gone exceptionally well,” Conover said. “We’re bringing in some depth and quality that should enhance the successful group we have here.”
A few of those additions to the men’s squad are Clayton Hutchins, Connor Fisher, Ryan Corvese, Danny Stalters and Eric Sundell.
Cal Poly’s male runners saw a fair amount of success in 2012, taking first place at the Big West championships.
“That represents quite a bit of depth on the guys,” Conover said. “We’ve got a great group of returning men coming back, so it’s hard to say whether anybody would make an impact on that top group.”
For the ladies, Lauren Benstead, Kylie Nishisaka and Diana George join the Mustangs and could compete in 2013.
But remember, the Mustangs still have All-American Laura Hollander, so they aren’t short on talented runners either.
Conover doesn’t expect much impact from the class of 2017 right away. His new recruits will add balance to this year’s roster, though, and might pave the way for victory down the road.
“I think the future of our program is going to be very bright in terms of who we have here and who we are bringing in,” Conover said.
All in all, some of these fresh faces will make a name for themselves in 2013. Others won’t be so lucky, and will have to work their way up, climbing the depth chart, step by step.
Still, this group of freshmen is packed with top-tier talent, and the future of Cal Poly athletics looks promising with the class of 2017 leading the charge.