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2025-26 Otter Athletics Season In Review

Championships, records and achievements highlight memorable year

July 06, 2026

By: Kevin Gilmore (@OtterKevin)
SEASIDE, Calif. — The 2025-26 Cal State Monterey Bay Athletics season will be remembered for historic achievements, championships won, records broken and diplomas earned. In other words, a business as usual for Otter Athletics. Whether it was the Otter baseball team winning yet another CCAA championship, the men's basketball team setting a program NCAA record for wins, or the softball team returning to the NCAA Championship field, Otter student-athletes left indelible marks for their many successes both inside and outside the classroom.

With the teams already gearing up for the 2026-27 campaigns, this is a perfect time to take a look back to recognize and to celebrate what was another memorable campaign for the Otters. We'll take a team-by-team look at the year that was as the Otters prepare to make even more memories in the year just around the corner.

FALL 2025
Cross Country
Both the men's and women's cross country teams placed sixth at the CCAA Championships, highlighting another successful season for the Otters. CSUMB runners recorded 13 performances that landed on the program's all-time lists, including a school-record 5K time of 17:59.70 by junior Daniela Munguia.
 
The Otters swept the CCAA Elite 13 Awards, presented to the student-athletes with the highest grade point averages at the conference championships, with Cassidy Andreadakis and Cameron Cornforth earned recognition for their academic excellence. In the classroom, Andreadakis and Cornforth were joined by 10 teammates on the CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll.
  
Women's Soccer
The Otters once again showcased one of the conference's strongest defenses, allowing one goal or fewer in 11 matches while recording five shutouts. CSUMB secured key conference victories over Cal State LA, Cal State East Bay, UC Merced and San Francisco State en route to a six-win campaign.
 
Juliana Dow made an immediate impact in her first season with the Otters, leading the team with four goals, two assists and 10 points. Goalkeepers Willow Baltazar and Olivia Wynn split time between the posts, with Baltazar recording 44 saves and Wynn posting two shutouts. Fourteen student-athletes earned recognition on the CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll.
 
Men's Soccer
CSUMB sported a five-match unbeaten streak in its opening month, highlighted by victories over nationally-ranked Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino during the same weekend.
 
Seniors Will Seargeant and Eric Vazquez-Acosta earned All-CCAA honorable mention recognition. Vazquez-Acosta led the Otters offensively with five goals and two assists for 12 points in 15 matches. Off the field, four Otters were named to the CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll.
 
Volleyball
A late-season surge, powered by freshmen Zoe Haan and Juliette D'Eliseo helped the Otters finish strong in 2025. Haan became just the sixth different Otter—and second Otter freshman—to record 300 kills in a season by posting 318. Haan, D'Eliseo and junior middle blocker Lilly Bandle each earned honorable mention All-CCAA recognition, marking the fourth time in five seasons under Head Coach Courtney Materazzi that at least three Otters have been so honored.
 
WINTER 2025-26
Women's Basketball
The Otters enjoyed a breakthrough campaign under third-year head coach Sarah Hopkins-Chery, finishing with 14 wins — the program's highest total since the 2012-13 season. The historic season culminated with CSUMB earning its first postseason appearance in 13 years.
 
Junior transfer Jennifer Moreno Ortiz earned All-CCAA Second Team honors after averaging a team-best 12.7 points per game and leading the conference in three-point shooting at 39 percent. Senior Aajah Slocum and sophomore Leah Sarabia were both named All-CCAA honorable mention.
  
Men's Basketball
With their 70–54 win over Chico State on Feb. 28, their 17th of 2025-26, the Otters set their record for wins in a season at the NCAA Division II level. The win also clinched CSUMB's fifth-ever trip the CCAA Championship, marking the first time in school history that the men's and women's teams advanced to the tournament in the same season.
 
Individually, the Otters boasted the top two scores in the CCAA with Jaden Tengan and Michael Mora finishing in a virtual tie at 17.3 and 17.2 points per game respectively. The duo became the first Otter men's basketball players to be named first team All-CCAA in the same season. Junior Joey Bilello earned honorable mention All-CCAA recognition, marking the first time that three Otters were named All-CCAA in the same season.
 
SPRING 2026
Women's Golf
The Otters continued their rise, finishing runner-up at the CCAA Championship and advancing to the NCAA West Regional. CSUMB placed four golfers inside the top 10 at the conference championship at The Reserve at Spanos Park, while senior Cathy Tong, freshman Khivi Kaur and sophomore Morgan Pittman earned All-CCAA recognition. Tong capped a remarkable career by earning first-team all-conference honors for the third time, receiving CCAA Golfer of the Week recognition and sinking a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th hole during the Tim Tierney Shootout. She concluded her career as the program's all-time leader in scoring average.
 
Men's Golf
Despite featuring an historically young roster, the Otters once again forged their way into championship contention in 2025-26. The team featured five freshmen and seven underclassmen amongst its 10-player roster, yet overcame the youth to reach NCAA postseason play for the fifth consecutive season and the 17th time in the past 18 seasons. Junior George Goff led the way, earning all-region and All-CCAA honors for his efforts.
 
Track & Field
The 2026 season featured numerous additions to the program record book as the Otters produced 12 performances that landed on the all-time list, including three new school records. Senior Ali Keith concluded her career as the school record holder in the 5,000 meters and owns four of the top five performances in program history. Sophomore Rachel Hoops rewrote the record book in the 800m, establishing a new school record while recording the five fastest times in program history. Both Keith and Hoops were also members of the record-setting distance medley relay team.
 
Softball
The Otters followed up their promising 2025 campaign under first-year Head Coach Emily Montañez with a return to NCAA tournament competition in 2026. They got there by winning 33 games, for their ninth 30-plus win season since becoming full NCAA members in 2008 (that total ranks second amongst all CCAA teams over that span). Their 33rd win, a 4–0 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills in their NCAA West Regional opener, was their first NCAA Tournament win since 2014.
 
Junior Abreanna Alba led the way by earning first team All-CCAA honors while hitting 15 home runs (No. 2 all-time at CSUMB) and driving in 60 (No. 4). Alba was one of a program-record seven players to earn All-CCAA recognition in 2026. Senior Kieley Ganaden and juniors Leah Madden and Nevaeh Martinez were named to the second team. Outfielder Ellie Escalante and pitchers Jordan Knutson and Kadence Nulick were honorable mention selections.
 
Baseball
The Otters once again established themselves among the nation's elite programs, capturing their fifth consecutive CCAA regular-season championship while earning the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional. CSUMB finished the season 37-18 overall and 21-11 in conference play while spending much of the year ranked among the nation's top 10 teams.
 
The program boasted 12 All-CCAA selections, highlighted by Andrew Kotin becoming the first player in program history to be named CCAA Pitcher of the Year. Kotin also earned CSC Academic All-America® honors and received all-region recognition from three organizations. Head coach Walt White was named CCAA Coach of the Year for a conference-record fifth time, while Conner Smith became the first Otter to earn an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award. James Starkus, Bobby Benavidez and Andrew Lehmann joined Kotin as all-region selections.
 
Water Polo
The Otters fell just short in their quest for a Western Water Polo Association title in 2026, making it to the final four for the second consecutive season and the third time in the past four seasons under Head Coach Emily Schmit. Seniors Kaya Eaton and Shea Tully led the postseason run by earning all-tournament honors at the WWPA Championship.
 
But the youngsters dominated the news for the Otters in 2026, with freshman Olivia Gutierrez earned first team All-WWPA honors after leading the league in scoring with 108 points. She became just the eighth Otter ever—and the first Otter freshman—to score 100 points in a season. Gutierrez went on to be named an honorable mention All-American. Joining Guetierrez on the All-WWPA teams were second team picks Eaton and sophomore goalkeeper Marissa White, who ended the season already ranked No. 3 in career wins (22) and No. 4 in career saves (538). Fellow sophomore Emma Sosa finished eighth in the league in goals scored and was an honorable mention All-WWPA pick.
 
 

 
GO OTTERS!





 
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