Redshirt sophomore forward for Cal Poly women’s basketball Sierra Lichtie will enter the transfer portal on March 20, according to BTN Scouting.
Lichtie played a crucial role in Cal Poly’s success this season and helped the Mustangs collect Head Coach Shanele Stires‘ first postseason win in her three-year tenure.
Lichtie was the third-leading scorer on the team this season, averaging 10.6 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.
In the Big West postseason opener against UC Santa Barbara, Lichtie had a dominant performance. With 17 points, 13 rebounds and two steals, she helped lead Cal Poly to the quarterfinals.
She scored in double digits again in the quarterfinals, with 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in the team’s loss to UC San Diego.
Now including Lichtie, the team is losing five of their six leading scorers from this season, including seniors Annika Shah, Sydney Bourland, Sydney Richards and Ashley Hiraki.
Stires and Associate Head Coach Samba Johnson already expected some roster turnover for the 2025-26 season, Lichtie’s departure leaves another hole to be filled next season.
Three freshmen, guards Gabby Robinson and Alana Goosby and forward Nora Perez, earned time on the court.
Still, the senior-heavy roster kept them from contributing significant minutes and integration within the offense throughout the season. Robinson averaged the most minutes of the three, averaging 12.7 a game.
Stires and Johnson are no strangers to losing key players to the transfer portal. Last year, they lost Natalia Ackerman, the forward who led Cal Poly in points and rebounds and blocked 63 shots—breaking the single-season program record.
However, Cal Poly has also gained players from the portal.
Last year, Cal Poly acquired one transfer over the offseason: Ashley Hiraki. As a guard at Santa Clara who was becoming a graduate student, Hiraki reunited with her high-school teammate Sydney Bourland for one more season.
As the offseason plays out, the coaching staff will continue to look for freshmen and transfers to add to their roster to lighten the load of roster turnover.
