Many Hollister High student-athletes graduate and compete in sports in college. But few have made major contributions as fast as Baler alum Golda Demby, who just completed her freshman year at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
In just one season in college, Demby, a four-time CIF State Meet Track and Field participant in high school, has excelled beyond belief.
At the Fresno State Invite on May 2, Demby threw the hammer 188-3.5 for the second-best distance in Cal Poly school history. Demby finished fourth in the competition, behind two athletes from China and a Fresno State senior.
The throw was a personal best improvement by more than seven feet.
Additionally in this superb spring, Demby tossed the shot put 48-4.25” on May 8 at the Big West Conference Championships. That marked the sixth best shot put throw in the Cal Poly record book. In that event, she claimed fourth place, behind two seniors and a junior.
Before heading to Cal Poly, Demby starred at Hollister. She won the Central Coast Section shot put title three times and advanced to the CIF State Finals each year. She finished 12th in California as a sophomore, fourth as a junior and third as a senior.
Demby qualified for the CIF State meet in the discus as a freshman at Del Mar High, where she attended for a single year before transferring to Hollister. As a Baler, Demby won the CCS discus title in 2024 and advanced to the CIF State meet twice.
“Golda transferred in her sophomore year to us, knowing the other athletes we were already developing at that time,” Hollister girls track coach Ryan Shorey said. “Her addition helped take the team to that next level.
“She was a four-year state qualifier in the throws, freshman year at Del Mar, then the following three years at Hollister High School, which is an incredible feat.”
Shorey noted that Demby and her classmates produced one of the most successful stints in
girls track and field history at Hollister. Demby, along with Madison Minkel, Jasayla Mariscal, Emma Franks, Hannah Vincent and many others, led the Balers to the top six of CCS for six straight years.
In addition to her track highlights, Demby excelled in wrestling. She finished fifth in California in her weight category in 2024 and third in the state in 2025.
“I got into contact with (Hollister wrestling) coach Steven Salcedo,” Demby said. “He was welcoming and got me super excited, along with coach Miguel Soto. I got better and better at Hollister. The most fun is the people and my coaches. People from the town coming to watch and support.”
Soto encouraged Demby.
“He kept telling me it would happen and that I would go to State,” Demby recalled. “Put Hollister on the map.”
There is no women’s wrestling program at Cal Poly and Demby now concentrates solely on track and field.
“I started doing track my freshman year of high school,” Demby recalled. “I started doing it to have fun. The more I got into it, the more serious it became. I went to State my freshman year. It was a moment where I was like, ‘Who knows where I could be’.”
Demby likes the fact that throwing is an individual sport.
“It’s all you,” Demby said. “How much you put in is how much you get.”
Demby gave deep recognition to many of her coaches at school and in the community.
In the shot and discus, she has concentrated on and improved on getting more height on her throws. A big goal of hers was to reach the CIF State finals in both shot and discus, qualifying through CCS and then finishing high enough on the first day of CIF State prelims to make the final cut. She nailed that.
In 2025, she won the CCS shot put title with a mark of 44-8 and finished third in the state with a throw of 44-9.75. She flung the discus 139-3 for second place in the CCS Final and came in 10th in the discus at the CIF State meet with a throw of 133-8.
In 2024, as a junior, Demby won the CCS shot crown with a throw of 42-8 and captured first in the discus at 139-7. She claimed fourth in the state in the shot with a toss of 43-11.5.
Demby looked at and visited several colleges. Cal Poly was her choice, with Fresno State and Boise State being other top contenders. She is majoring in biomedical engineering with a concentration in bioinstrumentation.
“The reason I chose Cal Poly is because I want to be an engineer,” said Demby, upon graduation from Hollister in 2025. “Cal Poly has one of the best Engineering programs. And everyone I met there was super nice. It is a program that I can go in and be a contributor.”
Demby gives thanks to many, starting with her parents. She is also very grateful to Hollister High and the City of Hollister.
“My parents have been super supportive,” said Demby, upon finishing her high school career. “They do whatever it takes. My dad goes to all my meets.
“The community of Hollister is so strong. I am so grateful to them. I go out in public and people recognize me. They say, ‘You’re the girl that wrestles.’ It’s a great feeling. People see the work you put in. I’m very proud to represent Hollister.”
At Hollister High, her talent and work ethic were visible to all and she set an example with her leadership. She received excellent coaching and support, and her collegiate potential was clear.
“Her skills were evident right off the bat; her strength in the weight room was better than most of the athletes on campus, regardless of gender or sport, and she was always asking what else she can do to get better,” said Shorey, upon Demby’s graduation in 2025. “Between her athletic abilities and her mental strengths, it is no surprise to me and those that had the opportunity to work with her that she is continuing her athletic career at the collegiate level.”
