Cal Poly Women’s Basketball has announced six incoming recruits joining the team for the 2024-25 season.
The Mustangs announced the signing of four incoming freshmen in November: Carmela Fontes, Ana Moleon Hidalgo, Nora Perez and Gabby Robinson.
Within the past week, the team announced two more additional signings: Ashley Hiraki and Avery Carter.
Only one of the five signees is a transfer from Santa Clara to Hiraki. The five others will be freshmen.
In what will be the third year of head coach Shanele Stires’ leadership, the entire team, aside from guard Annika Shah and forward Sydney Bourland, will have been recruited during Stires’ tenure.
The Mustangs will be looking to fill the spots left by five departing players. Guard Ania McNicholas, forward Amanda Olinger and forward Natalia Ackerman all graduated while freshman guard Jordan Hoffman and junior guard Diamond Richard entered the transfer portal.
Ackerman is a key loss. She was crucial to the team on both sides of the ball and was named First Team All-Big West last season.
McNicholas and Olinger provided experience at the guard and center spot, which were crucial for the Mustangs this season. Currently, the only true big on the roster is incoming freshman Carter, who stands at 6 foot 1.
Unlike the start of the 2023-24 season, when the team was under a complete restructuring with only four returners, the Mustangs will be looking to build around the past season’s success, which culminated in a tie for the third-best record in the Big West and an appearance in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Ana Molen Hidalgo
- Position: Guard
- Height: 6 foot
- High School: San Gabriel High School, Barcelona, Spain
Molen Hidalgo will give the Mustangs a new dimension to their offense as a six-footer in the point guard slot. She is someone who has already had championship experience in her career, and Stires likened her game to former Spanish NBA point guard Ricky Rubio.
Molen Hidalgo was a three-on-three tournament champion in Spain in 2019 and won a U18 Spanish Championship in 2022. Last year, she won the Run & Roses Tournament in Louisville with the Elite Sport Academy Spain team.
Nora Perez
- Position: Forward
- Height: 6 foot
- High School: San Ignacio De Loiola, San Sebastian, Spain
Perez is the second Spanish signee from the Mustangs 2023 class.
She is a threat as a three-point shooter and will slot into a stretch forward position for the Mustangs.
In 2023, her team finished first in the U17 3×3 Spain Championship, and Perez was named MVP. She also was a member of the U17 Spanish National Team.
Carmela Fontes
- Position: Forward
- Height: 6 foot 2
- High School: Woodside Priory School, Portola Valley, California
Fontes, initially from Uruguay, brings more depth as an incredibly versatile option at the forward position.
She led Woodside Priory School to a CCS Division 5 championship in 2022. She averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game that season.
Her six-foot-two frame and passing and shooting abilities make Stires a dynamic weapon in the frontcourt. She will also be the primary replacement for Ackerman in the rebounding game, as her size gives her a natural advantage over most forwards.
Gabby Robinson
- Position: Guard
- Height: 5 foot 10
- High School: Centennial High School, Corona, California
The key member of the Mustangs’ 2023 signing class is guard Gabby Robinson, who was named one of PrepGirlsHoops.com Top 20 players in California.
2024 will mark her official debut with Cal Poly, but she has already been practicing with the team in the spring leading up to this season.
As a junior, Robinson averaged 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists per game. She is a two-way threat and draws attention for her defensive and three-point shooting skills. In 2023, Robinson shot 40% from three and set the state high school record with 12 threes in a game.
Ashley Hiraki
- Position: Guard
- Height: 5 foot 7
- Previous Team: Santa Clara University
Hiraki, who is graduating from Santa Clara University, is the sole graduate transfer in this year’s class.
She started every game for the Broncos last season and averaged 6.1 points per game across her four years in the program. She led the team in steals as a senior with 2.1 per game and can provide some veteran leadership to the young Mustangs team.
Hiraki was named to the All-Academic First Team in her junior and senior seasons.
Hirake attended high school women’s basketball powerhouse program Archbishop Mitty in San Jose where she played with current Mustang Sydney Bourland.
Avery Carter
- Position: Center
- Height: 6 foot 1
- High School: Tascosa High School, Amarillo, Texas
Carter signed her letter of intent to join Cal Poly on May 13. She will be an important part of the roster next season as the only true center on the team.
Carter averaged a double-double in 2021, notching 14 points and 11 rebounds per game for Tascosa High School.
She will work alongside returning forward Mary Carter to replace the productivity of Ackerman and Olinger, who primarily played the center position last year.
Where the roster stands now
The Mustangs were able to fill positions of need across the board in replacing departing players from last season.
The three international recruits are all six feet or taller and will add a considerable amount of length in the forward group.
The Mustangs appear to have gained considerably in three-point shooting, an area where they were near the top of the league percentage-wise last season but finished seventh overall in the Big West in three-pointers made.
The biggest question remains at the center position and whether newcomers Fontes or Avery Carter will see reps at the position, or if Big West All-Rookie team member Mary Carter will take the majority of time at the five despite being a true forward.