Cal Poly Athletics Announces 2026 Hall of Fame Class
8/11/2026 12:54:00 PM | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Soccer, Softball, Track and Field, Beach Volleyball, Women's Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly will induct seven former Mustang student-athletes, including three who played in multiple sports, along with a former head coach into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame in September.
The 2026 class of inductees -- football star Joe Protheroe, softball standout Dr. Anna Cahn, football and track and field athlete Kaaron Conwright, football head coach Rich Ellerson, baseball student-athlete, coach and administrator Kent Agler, men's soccer player Patrick Sigler and indoor volleyball and beach volleyball stars Adlee and Torrey Van Winden.
They will all be inducted officially during a ceremonial brunch on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. on campus in the Multi Activities Center. The event is open to anyone who purchases a ticket. Those can be bought at GoPoly.com/tickets or by clicking the button at the top. The group also will be honored at halftime of Cal Poly's Hall of Fame football game against the University of San Diego Sept. 19. Kickoff from Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital at Alex G. Spanos Stadium is set for 5 p.m.
The eight honorees, announced this week by Mustang Director of Athletics Carter Henderson, bring the total number of inductees to 161 individuals, a track and field relay foursome and the 1960 football team.
The 2026 Hall of Fame inductees (in alphabetical order):
Kent Agler (Baseball/Administrator)
Kent Agler, Cal Poly's baseball coach during the program's final Division II season, has been selected for induction into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame.
Agler served as coach of the Mustangs alongside Doug Noce for the 1994 season while Cal Poly was in transition to NCAA Division I. The pair guided Cal Poly to a 31-21 overall record and a first-place tie in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 19-11 mark.
Agler also served as pitching coach during Ritch Price's first of eight seasons as Mustangs head coach and Cal Poly's initial campaign in Division I. Following the 1995 season, Agler became the athletic department's event operations manager, serving in that capacity for 11 years. He went on to work for the California National Guard from 2007-11.
Agler is a former Mustang baseball player himself and still holds the school record for lowest earned run average in a single season, compiling a 1.20 ERA in 1971 with just 12 earned runs allowed over 90 innings. He posted a 9-2 win-loss record and, among his 11 starts on the mound, notched five complete games.
Playing in Augie Garrido's second of three seasons as Mustang head coach, Agler's nine wins in 1971 is tied for No. 19 in the record book. Cal Poly was 39-11-1 that year. Agler also pitched at Cal Poly in 1969 and 1970 with a career 11-8 win-loss record and 3.03 ERA. His four shutouts in 1971 and five career shutouts remain as school records.
Agler, who also played on the 1968 Mustangs freshman team, earned All-CCAA and All-District 8 first-team honors in 1971. He pitched a 4-0 complete game shutout against No. 9-ranked Santa Clara in the first game ever played at Sinsheimer Park's SLO Stadium in 1971 and was part of the 1971 team's record-setting lowest staff ERA of 1.98.
Agler was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 23rd round after his senior season in 1971 and played three seasons in the minor leagues, compiling a 17-12 career pro record and 3.04 ERA. He played for Billings at the rookie league level and the Single-A Cal League for San Jose.
Following his playing career, Agler coached for one season at Saratoga High School. His roster included former Cal Poly and Major League pitcher Lee Hancock and catcher Bill Haselman, who enjoyed a 13-year Major League career with Texas, Seattle, Boston and Detroit and currently is the catching coach with the Cincinnati Reds.
Agler was pitching coach at Cal Poly from 1988-93. The 1988 squad posted the Mustangs' first winning season in eight years and a third-place CCAA finish. The following year, he guided the pitching staff to Cal Poly's first national championship in the 1989 NCAA Division II College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama.
Agler also mentored the 1993 Mustang pitching staff to a second-place national finish and a third-place finish in 1992. In all, Agler coached 10 All-American pitchers and 13 who went on to play professional baseball.
A graduate of Pioneer High School in San Jose, Agler earned his bachelor's degree in physical education (now kinesiology) at Cal Poly in 1990. Inducted into the Pioneer High School Hall of Fame in 2023, Agler currently enjoys retirement in Wickenburg, Arizona, with his wife of 44 years, Cathy.
Dr. Anna Cahn (Softball, 2008-11)
One of the top all-around performers in Cal Poly softball history, Dr. Anna Cahn graduated from Cal Poly in 2012 as a two-time NFCA All-West Region honoree, four-time All-Big West selection and the only athlete in conference history to earn both Big West Pitcher and Field Player of the Year accolades.
In the circle, Cahn – selected 2009 Big West Pitcher of the Year – remains second in program history with 126 career appearances, third with 411 strikeouts, 639 innings pitched and 90 starts, fourth with 63 complete games and fifth with 50 victories and 15 shutouts.
Cal Poly’s career walks leader, Cahn remains third all-time with 116 RBI and 28 homers and sixth with a .333 batting average and 275 total bases.
Cahn’s top season as a Mustang came in 2009 when she won a program-record 28 games and drove home 41 runs as Cal Poly captured a second Big West title in three years, won a program-record 41 games and reached the NCAA Tournament Stanford Regional final.
Cahn was named Big West Field Player of the Year for 2010 after setting new program single-season records for on-base percentage (.586) and walks (45) and batting a career-best .393. As a senior in 2011, Cahn hit 14 homers with a .727 slugging percentage – both the second-highest single-season marks in Cal Poly history.
A nine-time Big West Player of the Week honoree, Cahn graduated with a bachelor’s of science in nutrition and a minor in biological science. She earned her master’s in nutritional science from Long Beach State in 2015 while becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).
In 2021, Cahn completed both a PhD and master’s in prevention science from Oregon and is currently an assistant professor in Cal Poly’s Food Science and Nutrition Department.
Kaaron Conwright (Football 1996-97; Track and Field 1997-2000)
One of the most accomplished sprinters in the history of the men's track and field program, Conwright holds the Cal Poly record in the 100-meter dash, clocked in 10.07 seconds in 2000. He won four consecutive Big West titles in the event from 1997-2000, remaining as the only student-athlete in the 56-year history of the conference to win four straight 100-meter dash crowns.
Conwright is a five-time NCAA Division I All-American across the 100 (three-time) and 200 (two-time), earning All-American honors in both events in 1998 and 1999. He is the only five-time Division I outdoor All-American in Cal Poly track and field history. He owns the second fastest 200 time in school history (20.69 seconds), and was a part of the eighth fastest men's 4x100-meter relay in school history (1999, 40.18 seconds).
Conwright was named Big West Track and Field Athlete of the Year in both 1998 and 2000, and was twice crowned the conference's 200-meter champion. Conwright also anchored Cal Poly's 1998 conference title-winning 4x100-meter relay squad, adding up to seven total Big West titles.
Conwright also played football at Cal Poly for two seasons (1996-97) before concentrating on track and field. He was the Mustangs' top kick returner as a freshman, averaging 23.2 yards on 11 returns. Conwright then moved to cornerback as a sophomore in 1997, intercepting two passes with 19 tackles and a blocked kick.
Conwright earned his bachelor's degree in English with a minor in ethnic studies. He is currently on the track and field coaching staff at Harvard.
Rich Ellerson (Head Football Coach, 2001-08)
During his eight seasons as head football coach for the Mustangs, Ellerson earned 56 wins against 34 losses for a .622 winning percentage, the third-highest in program history. He also has the highest home winning percentage at 73 percent with only six home losses in his final six seasons.
Ellerson guided Cal Poly to six straight winning seasons from 2003-08 and coached the Mustangs to three conference championships (2004-05, 2008) and the school's lone NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff win in 2005 at Montana.
Ellerson recruited the three highest NFL draft picks in school history (Jordan Beck, Chris Gocong and Ramses Barden, all third-round picks) and he coached three consecutive Buck Buchanan Award winners (FCS defensive player of the year) in Beck (2004), Gocong (2005) and Kyle Shotwell (2006).
Ellerson also coached a Walter Payton Award finalist (FCS offensive player of the year) in Ramses Barden. Ellerson's accomplishments also include 35 All-Americans, 40 all-conference first-team honorees and seven postseason Bowl selections.
Ellerson went on to become head coach at Army West Point for five seasons (2009-13) and was head coach at Southern Utah in 1996 while serving as an assistant coach at Hawai'i, Arizona and Jacksonville.
Joe Protheroe (Football, 2014-18)
Running back Joe Protheroe rewrote the Cal Poly record book in several rushing categories en route to three All-Big Sky Conference first-team honors and All-American awards in three seasons, including six as a senior in 2018 and a first-team All-American accolade in 2016.
After missing the final nine games of the 2017 campaign due to a knee injury which required surgery, Protheroe returned for his final Mustang season in 2018 and established new school records for rushing yards in a season (1,810 yards) and career (4,271). Both records still stand.
Protheroe also is sixth in the record book for his 1,334 yards rushing in 2016. He broke the 200-yard mark in a single game five times, including a 260-yard performance against Idaho State in 2018, No. 4 on the charts.
Protheroe also holds school records for most career carries (861) and most trips in a single season (363 in 2018). He scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in his career, tied for No. 2 with James Noble, and twice he reached the end zone 13 times in a single season, tied for No. 5.
Protheroe averaged 5.0 yards per carry and 94.9 yards per game in his Mustang career. He also caught 14 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns as a Mustang.
A graduate of Clayton Valley Charter High School in Concord, Calif., Protheroe rushed for 3,014 yards on 234 carries and scored 34 touchdowns in his senior season (2012), averaging 215.3 yards per game and 12.9 yards per carry. He scored 222 points for his team and surpassed the 100-yard mark in all 14 games as the Eagles finished 12-2.
Protheroe currently is a special education teacher and coaches football at Nipomo High School.
Pat Sigler (Men's Soccer, 2007-11)
The only four-time men’s All-Big West selection in conference history and the 2008 Big West Freshman of the Year honoree, Pat Sigler is No. 2 in Cal Poly's record book for career appearances (79) and starts (79).
Starting all 23 matches as a freshman in 2008 and scoring five times, Sigler was named to the NSCAA All-Far West Region first team after helping Cal Poly to the NCAA Tournament second round. The 2008 Mustangs matched a program record with 11 victories and produced nine shutouts as Sigler was also selected to the College Soccer News Freshman All-America team and Soccer America Freshman All-America squad
A 2009 Hermann Trophy Watch List selection for national player of the year, Sigler helped direct Cal Poly to 30 shutouts during his career. A 2012 Major League Soccer Combine invitee, Sigler finished with 10 career goals. Among them, he converted penalties as a senior in 2011 to help Cal Poly to a 1-0 road win at UC Irvine and – in front of a sellout home crowd of 11,075 fans – a 2-1 victory against Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara.
Sigler graduated in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in wine & viticulture. As an alumnus, he has served on several boards, including as a committee member of the Stampede Club and vice-president of the Varsity Club.
Adlee Van Winden (Indoor and Beach Volleyball, 2015-20)
The Van Winden sisters stand as one of the greatest duos in Cal Poly athletics history, and two of the finest individual student-athletes the Mustang volleyball and beach volleyball program has ever produced. Both were dual sport athletes for the Mustangs, playing both indoor volleyball and beach volleyball.
Outside hitter Adlee Van Winden spent her entire collegiate career as a Mustang. She led the team in 2016 with 366 kills and earned three top-10 program records. She ranks fourth in career hitting attempts, sixth in career kills, and 10th in career kills per set.
During the 2017 indoor volleyball season, the Van Windens helped lead one of the most successful years in program history. The team finished with a stellar 27-3 record, including an undefeated home mark, a Big West title, and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Mustangs followed up with a 15-1 Big West record the next year, earning consecutive Big West titles and NCAA Tournament berths
In beach volleyball, she was a three-time All-Big West honoree and ranks third in program history for career pair wins with Taylor Nelson.
Adlee has continued to make her mark volleyball world, working as a collegiate coach and, alongside her husband, becoming an owner of the professional League One Volleyball (LOVB) San Francisco team, which debuts in January 2027.
Torrey Van Winden (Indoor and Beach Volleyball, 2017-20)
The Van Winden sisters stand as one of the greatest duos in Cal Poly athletics history, and two of the finest individual student-athletes the Mustang volleyball and beach volleyball program has ever produced. Both were dual sport athletes for the Mustangs, playing both indoor volleyball and beach volleyball.
Torrey Van Winden, also an outside hitter, transferred from UCLA, where she had reached the Elite Eight the previous season, and joined Cal Poly for her sophomore year, the same season her sister Adlee entered her junior year.
Torrey cemented her place in the program record books in indoor volleyball, ranking in the top three in multiple categories. She still holds the No. 2 and No. 3 spots for single-season kills per set, as well as the No. 2 position for career kills per set. During the 2018 beach volleyball season, she had a record of 19-8 which earned her First Team All-Big West honors and was named an AVCA All-American.
During the 2017 indoor volleyball season, the Van Windens helped lead one of the most successful years in program history. The team finished with a stellar 27-3 record, including an undefeated home mark and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Mustangs followed up with a 15-1 Big West record the next year, earning consecutive Big West titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
Since her time as a Mustang, Torrey continues to compete at a high level. She is now a professional beach volleyball player and 2028 Olympics hopeful having had a great start to her professional career.
