Desiree Gillaspy, a senior at St. Joseph’s High School, is swinging her way into the next stage of her career: the realm of college golf. The young athlete signed her letter of intent to play golf for Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo on Nov. 19—a match Gillaspy said she always wanted.
“I’ve been talking with [Cal Poly coach Scott Cartwright] since seventh grade. He’s seen me play a lot of games,” Gillaspy said. “He is a great guy. With a lot of college coaches, they just want to win, but he’s more focused on enjoying the sport.”
Signing with the Mustangs is a fitting send-off for her eventful high school career. Just earlier this month, Gillaspy barely squeaked by the 75-stroke cutoff by shooting a 75 to head to compete at the CIF regional state qualifier.
“It’s the farthest I’ve ever been,” she said. The regional state qualifier is one step below state finals.
The three-time PAC-7 MVP will also finish her high school career as team captain, a position that made her a role model for her teammates.
“If anyone on the team needed help with anything, or was struggling, and the coach wasn’t available, they trusted me as the person to go to,” she said.
Gillaspy isn’t the only golfer in the family, though. The Gillaspy patriarch showed both of his daughters how to play. Today, her sister is golfing with Pepperdine University. But the younger Gillaspy said she’s happy to stay local.
“There’s so much stress about making sure you’ll still be on the team,” she said. “At Cal Poly, I’d be one of the top players.”
Gillaspy will be receiving a partial scholarship to attend Cal Poly—it will cover the school’s tuitition. But she said she plans to get some academic scholarships to help cover the rest of the fees.
“I don’t have the greatest GPA,” she said modestly about her 3.7 average. “But if I study hard enough my first year, I can get an academic athlete scholarship.”
Until then, Gillaspy is looking forward to enjoying her senior year.
“As of right now, I just want to take it all in,” she said. “And I’m going to enjoy the rest of my senior year. It might be the last bit of free time I have for a while.”
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 4, 2013.