Cal Poly star, Buchanan alum Krieghoff earns national nomination

Cal Poly’s Elise Krieghoff, the former Buchanan High star who Sunday will lead the Mustangs into a nonconference game at Fresno State, is one of 30 candidates nationally for the Senior CLASS Award for women’s soccer.

The award, which stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, honors NCAA student-athletes for their on-field performance and for using their platform in sports to make a positive impact in their communities.

A national media committee will select 10 finalists in October. Those 10 will then be placed on a ballot for a nationwide vote among media, coaches and fans. The players who best exemplify the award’s four criterion — community, classroom, character and competition — will be announced at the College Cup in Cary, N.C. in December.

Krieghoff, a three-time All-Big West first-team selection, is set to begin her senior year with 46 career goals, the third-highest total among all Division I players entering the season.

Off the field, Krieghoff, an agricultural communications major, has made an impact in the Fresno and San Luis Obispo areas through charity and other volunteer work.

She helped establish the Emily Krieghoff Blood Drive and plan the #PlayForMoll Day before a Fresno Freeze Women’s Premier Soccer League game at Chukchansi Park to support the victims of a drunk driving crash in February that killed friend Molly Griffin and left sister Emily in critical condition.

Krieghoff’s also has worked with the Special Olympics of Southern California at the San Luis Obispo County-hosted Regional Games; reading to students at local elementary schools; inspecting and sorting food donated to San Luis Obispo Food Bank; and cleaning and arranging unsold items for Goodwill at the San Luis Obispo United Methodist Children’s Center’s annual spring rummage sales.

Cal Poly hosts No. 2-ranked Stanford at 7 p.m. Friday in its home opener, then plays the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Krieghoff has yet to score in the Mustangs’ 1-1-2 start. Freshman foward Caitlyn Kreutz (Buchanan) has a pair of goals for Cal Poly, both in a 2-1 win over Richmond on Aug. 30 to help her earn All-Tournament honors at the Nike Soccer Classic in Charlottesville, Virginia.

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Cal Poly star, Buchanan alum Krieghoff earns national nomination."