December Cellular One
Athletes of the Month
Cellular One of San Luis Obispo, in an extension of its sponsorship of the Cuesta College Athletics Department, is proud to announce this month’s selections for the Cellular One Athlete of the Month. This distinct honor recognizes two Cuesta College Athletes each month during the school year who have performed to the highest standards in their sport.
Karen Weatherby
Soccer
Our female selection for December is sophomore Karen Weatherby. Her offensive quarterbacking has been a crucial component of Cuesta’s record setting attack all year.
Karen’s ability to change the direction of the attack and distribute quality passes from midfield set up many Cuesta’s scoring attempts and helped the Cougars score a school record 73 goals this season. She elevated her play this month as the Cougars made a push for the playoffs; she scored four goals and added three assists in the last seven games to lead the Cougars. Karen ended the season fourth on the team in scoring with 17 points, six goal and five assists.
The Cougars finished in second place in the Western State Conference and earned their first playoff berth since 1999. The Cougars received the fifth-seed in the 2005 Southern California Regional Playoffs, but lost to SD Mesa in the first round. The Cougars ended the season with a record of 14-3-5.
Mike Kirkland
Water Polo
Our male selection for December is first-year Goaltender Mike Kirkland, who played his first year of varsity water polo in college water polo this season.
Do not call him a freshman: the 26-year old came to Cuesta to play for his old coach, John Marsh, and now Mike is now enjoying a record-breaking season. He shattered the Cuesta record for saves in a season with 370, a total that also led the State. He set the school record for saves in a game, with 25 in an overtime win over Riverside.
Mike was the only goaltender on the Cougars’ roster and spent every second of the season in the cage. Mike had several big games this season and his experience in championship level games was on display this month. He was outstanding while collecting 12 saves in the Cougars 8-7 win over LA Valley in the Western State Conference title game and added another big game with 13 saves in the Cougars’ 9-8 loss to Cerritos in the Southern California Playoffs. Mike earned Community College All American honors and was also named to the All Southern California Region Second Team and the All Western State Conference First Team. Before taking time off from work to join the Cougars, Mike won three Collegiate Club titles at Cal Poly SLO and finished his degree in Math and Mechanical Engineering in 2003.
The Cougars finished the season with a 24-9 record and advanced into the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to eventual State Tournament participant Cerritos, 9-8. The Cougars earned their 27th consecutive playoff berth this season and won their 20th conference title.