McCarthy, Lafaix Named Cal Poly's 2022-23 Athletes of the Year
6/5/2023 7:18:00 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field, Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Aidan McCarthy, who has had an historic redshirt sophomore campaign for the track and field and cross country programs, has been crowned Cal Poly Male Athlete of the Year while women's soccer standout Camille Lafaix received the Mustangs' Female Athlete of the Year Award.
The awards were presented Monday night during the annual Night of the Mustang at Chumash Auditorium on campus.
Other award winners were pole vaulter Mathis Bresko and beach volleyball standout Delaney Peranich as male and female scholar-athletes of the year and football player Brian Dukes and beach volleyball star Izzy Martinez as Cal Poly's newcomers of the year. All awards were sponsored by Mechanics Bank.
McCarthy's third year at Cal Poly has been filled with one milestone after another. This spring, McCarthy broke a 53-year-old school record in the men's 800-meter, shattered a 45-year-old program record in the men's 1,500-meter and became the first Mustang ever to run a sub four-minute mile time during the indoor season.
In the fall, McCarthy helped lead the men's cross country team to its 18th Big West title, capturing third overall at the conference meet. He then was Cal Poly's fourth finisher at the NCAA West Regionals, posting a personal 10K time to allow the Mustang men to secure their highest finish (eighth) at regionals since 2013.
On the track, the Pleasanton, Calif. native recently became Cal Poly's first back-to-back Big West champion in the men's 800 and the fifth repeat champion in the event in Big West history. The Big West Men's Co-Track Athlete of the Year also shined at the NCAA West Preliminaries in Sacramento on May 24-27, punching his ticket to the NCAA Championships by placing first in the 800. His time of 1:46.26 obliterated his own school record, is the fifth fastest ran in Division I this season and currently No. 56 in the world this outdoor season.
McCarthy's incredible performance allowed him to become Cal Poly's first national qualifier in six years and the first athlete on the men's side to book a trip to nationals in 11 years. Under the current format, McCarthy is also the first Mustang in program history to capture first in an event at the West Prelims.
Seeded No. 1 in the 800 headed into the NCAA Championships in Austin, McCarthy will be looking to become the first Cal Poly man in 16 years to earn first-team All-American honors when he steps on the track this week at Mike A. Myers Stadium. McCarthy will race in the semifinals of the 800 at 6:14 p.m. PDT on Wednesday live on ESPN2.
In her final season as a Mustang, Lafaix made plenty of history herself, propelling the women's soccer program to its first outright conference regular season title since 2013 and the right to host the Big West Championships as the No. 1 seed.
Lafaix was the focal point of the Mustangs' attack this past fall, leading the team in points (11) and goals (five), and burying three game winners. The Los Gatos, Calif. native earned her second straight United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team selection, becoming the third player in program history to secure multiple All-West Region First Team selections.
Lafaix, who secured a spot on the All-Big West First Team for the second consecutive season, became the first repeat winner of the Big West Midfielder of the Year Award and, prior to the season, was named to the Preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, awarded annually to the National Player of the Year.
Off the pitch, Lafaix became the fourth player in program history to receive United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American honors, grabbing a second-team selection. Lafaix helped the Mustangs post 10 shutouts this year, the program's most in a season since 2009, and she finishes her Cal Poly career with 42 points, 15th-most in school history.
Lafaix is the first player from the women's soccer program to win the Cal Poly Female Athlete of the Year Award since Elise Krieghoff took home the award in 2015.
Cal Poly Scholar-Athletes
Bresko, who will graduate this spring with his bachelor's in aerospace engineering, made sure to leave his mark in his final season as a Mustang. The Bellevue, Wash., native soared to his second straight conference title in the men's pole vault, becoming the third Mustang in program history to repeat as Big West champion in the event. He cleared a lifetime best of 18 feet, 1 inch at the meet to leap to No. 4 on Cal Poly's all-time list, surpassing current pole vault coach Brad Pickett.
Bresko's mark at the conference championships was the best by the Big West champion since 1999. It is also tied for the 15th best in Division I this season.
Bresko's stellar year allowed him to qualify for the NCAA West Prelims for the second consecutive season. He cleared 17 feet, 0.75 inches at the meet to finish 19th overall, just seven places away from earning a trip to the NCAA Championships.
Peranich finished her career this year as a two-time All-Big West honoree. This season playing alongside Brooke Golik at the No. 3 spot in the lineup, they had the best record on the team at 21-9 and earned Second Team All-Big West honors. She helped the duo win 10 matches against ranked teams, including over No. 1 TCU and No. 3 UCLA. For her career, she won 46 matches and helped the Mustangs win three Big West championships.
Off the sand, Peranich, a kinesiology major with a concentration in exercise science and pre med, has been a two-time Big West All-Academic honoree and has made the Dean's List multiple times throughout her time at Cal Poly.
Cal Poly Newcomers of the Year
Dukes played in all 11 football games as a true freshman last fall with nine starts at the boundary safety position. The Spring Valley, Calif., resident and Mater Dei Catholic High School graduate earned 61 tackles (41 solo), including a season-high 11 stops at Northern Arizona, and intercepted passes against San Diego and Portland State, both Mustang victories.
Dukes returned the San Diego theft 32 yards with 1:22 to go in the fourth quarter, preserving Cal Poly's one-point lead, and his 33-yard interception return tied the Portland State game at 21-21 with 3:26 left in the second quarter. Dukes also broke up five other passes last fall.
Martinez had a stellar rookie campaign in 2023, becoming the fifth Mustang in program history to earn first-team All-Big West honors as a freshman. She partnered with Piper Ferch and played at both the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the lineup, finishing the year with a record of 18-16, and won five matches against pairs from ranked teams.
Martinez helped propel Cal Poly to a run to the finals of the Big West Championships after she and Ferch went 5-1 in the tournament, which included two wins over No. 8 Hawai'i along the way.
Other male athletes nominated for the Athlete of the Year award were Ryan Trichler (swimming and diving), Nate Colley (soccer), Kobe Sanders (basketball), Bernie Truax (wrestling), Chris Coleman (football), Ryan Stafford (baseball), Baron Szeto (golf) and Noah Berry (tennis).
Female athletes nominated for the award included Shelby Daniele (track and field), Kim Bhunu (tennis), Kelly McDermott (swimming and diving), Jessica Clements (softball), Nicole Neale (golf), Maia Dvoracek (indoor volleyball) and the beach volleyball pair of Delaney Peranich and Brooke Golik.
Players Mentioned
