Cal Poly Women’s Basketball center Mary Carter has officially transferred to Wake Forest University, taking her talents from the Big West to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
After two seasons in San Luis Obispo, Carter is now heading east to compete in one of the nation’s most competitive conferences. She announced her decision via Instagram earlier today.
The 6-foot-3-inch post player was expected to be a key piece in the Mustangs’ future, especially following the departure of three senior starters: Annika Shah, Sydney Bourland and Sidney Richards.
Alongside redshirt sophomore Sierra Lichtie, Carter helped power the Mustangs past the opening round of the Big West Championships—and the two were the only members of that starting five set to return.
“Well, hopefully, they’ll both come back,” Head Coach Shanele Stires said during the Big West Championships post-game interview after both Carter and Lichtie recorded double-doubles to help propel the Mustangs past the first round.
Stires’s hope came amid a bittersweet moment as a senior-heavy roster neared its end in a Mustang uniform.
But just weeks after the season ended, Lichtie entered the transfer portal, and now Carter has followed suit.
Carter’s departure marks yet another major shift in an already evolving roster under Stires.
Since the NCAA launched the transfer portal in 2018, player movement has become a regular hurdle for programs to retain top talent—and Stires is no stranger to the challenge.
Last season, the Mustangs lost standout center Natalia Ackerman to UC Berkeley. Carter quickly stepped into that void, anchoring the paint with her size and effectively filling the role Ackerman left behind.
This season, Carter averaged 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while leading the team in field goal percentage at 42.7%.
Her best game of the season came in her final conference game against Long Beach, where she scored a career-high 27 points in a 64-72 loss.
After helping clinch the No. 8 seed heading into the postseason, Carter earned her way into the Big West Honorable Mention just one year after getting a spot on the All-Big West Freshman team.
Carter’s exit leaves the Mustangs without any returning starters from their postseason lineup, signaling the beginning of a full-scale rebuild for Stires and her staff heading into the 2025–26 season.