2024-25
Cuesta Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year
REESE PASTERNIK
In 2003 the Cuesta Athletic Department instituted its first true Athlete of the Year Award. The coaching staff was encouraged to nominate their best athlete and a committee was created to weigh performance athletic as the highest criteria. Today Cuesta announced its Outstanding Athletes of the Year for the twenty-third time and the first to honor co-Male Athelete of the Year
Two-time Western State Conference First Team Guard Reese Pasternik helped Coach Casey Blair turn around a program that had not earned a playoff berth in nearly a decade. They took the Cougars to back-to-back post-season appearances and recorded Coach Blair's first winning season on the bench. Pasternik's ability to lead the team in multiple ways helped each of her teammates get better, while she filled up the box score. A complete player, Pasternik owns the only recorded triple-double in program history (Nov. 4, 2023), as well as the mark for points in a game with 42 against Porterville last December 4. This season she paced the Cougars with a 19.1 points per game, while adding 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a team-high 2.8 steals per game.
Aside from helping return the Cougars to the post-season, Pasternik etched her name all over the Cuesta record books. She ranks in the Cougars' Top 5 with season marks for scoring average with both her 19.1 points this season and 17.9 during her freshman season, while finishing in program's Top 10 for free throw and three-point accuracy after both seasons. Her total career marks at Cuesta are also impressive. She is Cuesta's all-time leading scorer with 19.1 points per game, while also becoming the first Cuesta player to score 1,000 (1,019) career points. Her shooting efficiency is also off the charts, where she ranks 2nd all time for the Cougars in both Free Throw (83.1%) and Three-point (36.4%) percentage. Pasternik career totals also landed her 6th all time for rebounds (8.0), as well as 9th for both for assists (3.0) and steals (2.5) per game.
Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year
2003 Shanna DeMichelle, Napa, CA (Swimming)
2004 Christina Reyes, Los Osos, CA (Cross Country, Track)
2005 Jessie Ritchie, Arroyo Grande, CA (Tennis)
2006 Lindsay Campana, Templeton, CA (Softball)
2007 Whitney Levicki, Santa Cruz, CA (Water Polo)
2008 Julie Coelho, Lemoore, CA (Volleyball)
2009 Chloe Redman, Morro Bay, CA (Tennis)
2010 Kelly Barmann, Cimarron, NM (Cross Country)
2011 Alexandria Bernard, Porterville, CA (Water Polo, Swimming)
2012 Devon Kelsey, Atascadero, CA (Cross Country, Track)
2013 Kryn Masutani, Honolulu, HI (Softball)
2014 Riley Cooks, Coarsegold, CA (Volleyball, Track)
2015 Rachel Gruetzmacher, Atascadero, CA (Water Polo, Swimming)
2016 Augusta Thomason, San Diego, CA (Track)
2017 Miranda Daschian, Atascadero, CA (Cross Country, Track)
2018 Torie White, Los Osos, CA (Swimming)
2019 Faith Archibald, Atascadero, CA (Water Polo)
2020 Martha Mora, Cambria, CA (Soccer)
2021 Madeline Fletcher, San Luis Obispo (Track)
2022 Annie Bartolome, San Luis Obispo, CA (Swimming)
2023 Madeline Scovil, Arroyo Grande, CA (Track & Field)
2024 Elle Casselman, Lafayette, CA (Cross Country)
2025 REESE PASTERNIK, Bakersfield, CA (Basketball)
