February 23, 2026 • 10 mins
Gabriel Bolton was named the fifth head coach in Fresno State women's soccer talks with CK on Sports
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ck on Sports. It is Fox Sports Radio. We are
joined by the new head coach of the Frisnoe State
women's soccer team, Gabe Bolton. First of all, let me
say this congratulations.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Happy that you're here at Frisno State. And I would say,
what is your first impression of the valley? But knowing you,
you came from stans State, you spend a lot of
time in Turlock, You graduated from UC Davis, you went
to school at UOP, so you know the valley well.
And I think your knowledge of the valley is going
to suit you well, especially when it comes to recruiting,
don't you think.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah? I do, and it's I love the valley, and
I think that you you recruit better when you love
where you are, and you coach better when you love
where you are. So I agree with you. It's going
to see me perfectly.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So you had a great history at Stanislaus State. What
made you make the jump to Fresno State?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
You know it's cliche, but it's always been a dream
job for me. One is right here in the valley.
Oh yeah, I feel very comfortable recruiting here, living here,
raising my family, here too. It's I think your Presido
State is a legacy program or legacy university. It's somewhere
that people brag about going for the rest of their lives,
(01:15):
take a lot of pride in the university and the
athletics at the university and so and then when you
couple that with the potential for the soccer program and
going into the Pac twelve, it's just it was kind
of a no brainer.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Kind of throw you on the spot real quick. We're
talking to the Fresno State women's coach, Gay Bolton, so
I know you love the valley. There's a lot of
players previously that wanted to be recruited by Fresno State,
and for one reason or another, the previous head coach
decided not to recruit them heavily. This is a story
(01:50):
that we hear quite often, not only in the world
of soccer, but in other sports as well. Some top
notch players who are from the valley from Fresno. That's saying,
you know what, Fresno never really went after me very heavily.
I guess what I'm hearing from you, and correct me
if I'm wrong. That you're not going to be the
type of coach that's going to let quality player leave
here and go to say a gun Zag or leave
(02:12):
here and go to say a Utah State or somewhere
else when you know that they're an excellent player and
they should be at Fresno State.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yeah, you heard that correctly. This team will be Fresno built.
There's no question about it. If you follow us on
Instagram or follow me on Instagram, you can see that
our entire staff is pretty much at every single high
school game every single week. There's four of us, and
we're at four different games pretty much every day that
there's a game. And so we are blanketing the valley
(02:47):
and Fresno with our with our recruiting, and there is
no question that we want to keep the best players
from Fresno right here in Fresno, and we want this
team to be Fresno built.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love that. Tell us a little bit about this team,
because you know this, the valley loves soccer, Fresno loves soccer.
You build it, they will come. Tell us about this culture,
tell us about this team. What would you like to
see in your version of Fresno State women's soccer?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, I mean I think the first thing is we
want to build a high performance culture. We want to
build a destination spot for all the top players in
Fresno and in the valley, somewhere where they all aspire
to come to, not just from the time their young
little girls at our game, but all the way through
(03:39):
the recruiting process that they view Fresno State as the
ideal choice for them to grow and develop and achieve
all of their dreams when it comes to soccer, or
it comes to academics, or it comes to their personal
growth or professional growth. So that's what we're trying to
(03:59):
build here. We have fourteen returning players from Latin this
last fall, and we added eight during the right before
this spring, and so we are right now we have
twenty two on the team and we are working hard
every day to kind of build that high performance culture
(04:20):
and a place where everybody looks And so that's somewhere
I really want to go, or that's somewhere I definitely
need to look at.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Before we talk about some of the players that you
brought in and how you have to attack the transfer portal,
which is basically the new way of building your team.
You spent some time at Utah. At Utah, your team
went to the tournament a couple of times. I'm sure
that was inspirational to you in helping you go back
to Stantislaus State build that program. After seeing some of
(04:48):
the success you had as an assistant coach at Utah,
how are you going to be able to tap into
the experience that you gained from Utah as the assistant
coach going to the NCAA tournament and hopefully bringing that
of energy and vibe to Fresno State.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You know, I think the first thing Ckda I learned
at Utah is what it takes to coach players at
the highest level, what they're looking for, how they want
to be coached, how they grow, how they develop. I
think that's one of my biggest takeaways from being at
Utah is not just because I was the recruiting coordinator there,
(05:25):
so not just the recruiting aspect, but also the player
development aspect, because I do think that while you're right,
we're going to get players in the portal, that's always
going to be, at least at this time, a lifeline
for programs. I also think that developing the players within
your program, no matter when they get here as freshmen
(05:46):
or as transfers, It's critical for us to develop our
own players and have that focus on them so they
not only feel that because players want to grow, they
want to prove, but also so our team can reach
our potential.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Talk about attacking the transfer portal there, you were hired
as the Frisno State head coach. The one thing I
know is you got to get after it, and you
have to get after it aggressively. How did you go
about how did you go about attacking the transfer portal?
I mean you were just hired in December.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, I was hired on Christmas eve and by New
Year's Eve we had eight players committed and coming here
and then they started school on the sixteenth. So it
wasn't just me attacking the transfer portal. It was definitely
a lot of people here at the university that helped
(06:42):
get students in at the last minute to make sure
that we were able to put together the strongest team
that we can for this spring and for moving forward.
You know, I think the first thing is ck is
you know, getting in the portal and knowing who the
players are that are from the ballot. You know, some
of the players that we got that came over, like
(07:03):
Lexie Duker, and Daisy Torres there from right here in Fresno.
They ended up going to San je State to come
back home and be a part of this program. So
part of it was, you know, knowing who's in the
portal and where they're from and trying to really develop
(07:24):
that connection as quickly as possible. And then there were
some players that were in the portal that I was
also aware of just from using the portal and constantly
being kind of alert at stan State as well. I mean,
it's you know, it's a key aspect of our It's
been a key aspect of our recruiting the last few
years there as well. And even if there are players
(07:46):
so I was even if there are players that we
couldn't get at stan State, I was well aware of them.
And so when I got the job here at Present State,
I was able to reach out immediately because I had
a good posse on who was in the portal during
that time period.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Well, I'm looking forward to see how this team looks
this spring. I'm looking forward to how the team plays
in general. One final question before I let you go,
I'm sure being in the PAC twelve next year had
a lot with you wanting to also come to Fresno State.
How special is that going to be to be the
very first Fresno State women's soccer coach to be involved
in taking this team to the PAC twelve.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I mean, I'm honored that that's me and by that opportunity,
and not just me, but the whole university and the
entire athletic department and our team is just really really
excited with this opportunity and this new PAC twelve because
I think it's going to be a phenomenal conference and
it's going to be a really great conference in women's soccer.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
As we sit here and we embark on a new
era right here at Fresno State for women's soccer, this
valley loves to support a home grown quality product on
the pitch. What do you want to say to everybody
who has been waiting to get someone like maybe yourself
to come from stan State to Fresno State and give
(09:04):
the valley what they want?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, I mean I would just say the first thing
is is that you are going to see our coaches
and our team everywhere in the valley moving forward, whether
it comes to a recruiting or community service or involvement.
We're going to be everywhere. We're here to grow a
great program, but also to support our community, and we
(09:27):
would love for everybody to come support us because, like
I said at the beginning, this program is going to
be Fresnoe built.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Gay Bolton the new head coach at Fresno State from
Fresno State Women's Soccer. We're excited for the Gay Bolton
era to get underway. Can't wait to see how everything goes.
Gave thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Thank you so much. Go Dogs, Go Dogs.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Gay Bolton right there, the new head coach women's soccer
Fresno State. And you know what, whether you're in San Bernardino, Riverside, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Stockton,
wherever you're listening to the show at today, that new
head coach is recruiting right here in California and looking
for the top players to stay at Fresno State. Stay
in California. Make sure you reach out to Gabe Bolton
(10:10):
ck on Sports. It is Fox Sports Radio.
Ck on Sports. It is Fox Sports Radio. We are
joined by the new head coach of the Frisnoe State
women's soccer team, Gabe Bolton. First of all, let me
say this congratulations.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Happy that you're here at Frisno State. And I would say,
what is your first impression of the valley? But knowing you,
you came from stans State, you spend a lot of
time in Turlock, You graduated from UC Davis, you went
to school at UOP, so you know the valley well.
And I think your knowledge of the valley is going
to suit you well, especially when it comes to recruiting,
don't you think.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah? I do, and it's I love the valley, and
I think that you you recruit better when you love
where you are, and you coach better when you love
where you are. So I agree with you. It's going
to see me perfectly.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So you had a great history at Stanislaus State. What
made you make the jump to Fresno State?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
You know it's cliche, but it's always been a dream
job for me. One is right here in the valley.
Oh yeah, I feel very comfortable recruiting here, living here,
raising my family, here too. It's I think your Presido
State is a legacy program or legacy university. It's somewhere
that people brag about going for the rest of their lives,
(01:15):
take a lot of pride in the university and the
athletics at the university and so and then when you
couple that with the potential for the soccer program and
going into the Pac twelve, it's just it was kind
of a no brainer.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Kind of throw you on the spot real quick. We're
talking to the Fresno State women's coach, Gay Bolton, so
I know you love the valley. There's a lot of
players previously that wanted to be recruited by Fresno State,
and for one reason or another, the previous head coach
decided not to recruit them heavily. This is a story
(01:50):
that we hear quite often, not only in the world
of soccer, but in other sports as well. Some top
notch players who are from the valley from Fresno. That's saying,
you know what, Fresno never really went after me very heavily.
I guess what I'm hearing from you, and correct me
if I'm wrong. That you're not going to be the
type of coach that's going to let quality player leave
here and go to say a gun Zag or leave
(02:12):
here and go to say a Utah State or somewhere
else when you know that they're an excellent player and
they should be at Fresno State.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yeah, you heard that correctly. This team will be Fresno built.
There's no question about it. If you follow us on
Instagram or follow me on Instagram, you can see that
our entire staff is pretty much at every single high
school game every single week. There's four of us, and
we're at four different games pretty much every day that
there's a game. And so we are blanketing the valley
(02:47):
and Fresno with our with our recruiting, and there is
no question that we want to keep the best players
from Fresno right here in Fresno, and we want this
team to be Fresno built.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love that. Tell us a little bit about this team,
because you know this, the valley loves soccer, Fresno loves soccer.
You build it, they will come. Tell us about this culture,
tell us about this team. What would you like to
see in your version of Fresno State women's soccer?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, I mean I think the first thing is we
want to build a high performance culture. We want to
build a destination spot for all the top players in
Fresno and in the valley, somewhere where they all aspire
to come to, not just from the time their young
little girls at our game, but all the way through
(03:39):
the recruiting process that they view Fresno State as the
ideal choice for them to grow and develop and achieve
all of their dreams when it comes to soccer, or
it comes to academics, or it comes to their personal
growth or professional growth. So that's what we're trying to
(03:59):
build here. We have fourteen returning players from Latin this
last fall, and we added eight during the right before
this spring, and so we are right now we have
twenty two on the team and we are working hard
every day to kind of build that high performance culture
(04:20):
and a place where everybody looks And so that's somewhere
I really want to go, or that's somewhere I definitely
need to look at.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Before we talk about some of the players that you
brought in and how you have to attack the transfer portal,
which is basically the new way of building your team.
You spent some time at Utah. At Utah, your team
went to the tournament a couple of times. I'm sure
that was inspirational to you in helping you go back
to Stantislaus State build that program. After seeing some of
(04:48):
the success you had as an assistant coach at Utah,
how are you going to be able to tap into
the experience that you gained from Utah as the assistant
coach going to the NCAA tournament and hopefully bringing that
of energy and vibe to Fresno State.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You know, I think the first thing Ckda I learned
at Utah is what it takes to coach players at
the highest level, what they're looking for, how they want
to be coached, how they grow, how they develop. I
think that's one of my biggest takeaways from being at
Utah is not just because I was the recruiting coordinator there,
(05:25):
so not just the recruiting aspect, but also the player
development aspect, because I do think that while you're right,
we're going to get players in the portal, that's always
going to be, at least at this time, a lifeline
for programs. I also think that developing the players within
your program, no matter when they get here as freshmen
(05:46):
or as transfers, It's critical for us to develop our
own players and have that focus on them so they
not only feel that because players want to grow, they
want to prove, but also so our team can reach
our potential.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Talk about attacking the transfer portal there, you were hired
as the Frisno State head coach. The one thing I
know is you got to get after it, and you
have to get after it aggressively. How did you go
about how did you go about attacking the transfer portal?
I mean you were just hired in December.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, I was hired on Christmas eve and by New
Year's Eve we had eight players committed and coming here
and then they started school on the sixteenth. So it
wasn't just me attacking the transfer portal. It was definitely
a lot of people here at the university that helped
(06:42):
get students in at the last minute to make sure
that we were able to put together the strongest team
that we can for this spring and for moving forward.
You know, I think the first thing is ck is
you know, getting in the portal and knowing who the
players are that are from the ballot. You know, some
of the players that we got that came over, like
(07:03):
Lexie Duker, and Daisy Torres there from right here in Fresno.
They ended up going to San je State to come
back home and be a part of this program. So
part of it was, you know, knowing who's in the
portal and where they're from and trying to really develop
(07:24):
that connection as quickly as possible. And then there were
some players that were in the portal that I was
also aware of just from using the portal and constantly
being kind of alert at stan State as well. I mean,
it's you know, it's a key aspect of our It's
been a key aspect of our recruiting the last few
years there as well. And even if there are players
(07:46):
so I was even if there are players that we
couldn't get at stan State, I was well aware of them.
And so when I got the job here at Present State,
I was able to reach out immediately because I had
a good posse on who was in the portal during
that time period.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Well, I'm looking forward to see how this team looks
this spring. I'm looking forward to how the team plays
in general. One final question before I let you go,
I'm sure being in the PAC twelve next year had
a lot with you wanting to also come to Fresno State.
How special is that going to be to be the
very first Fresno State women's soccer coach to be involved
in taking this team to the PAC twelve.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I mean, I'm honored that that's me and by that opportunity,
and not just me, but the whole university and the
entire athletic department and our team is just really really
excited with this opportunity and this new PAC twelve because
I think it's going to be a phenomenal conference and
it's going to be a really great conference in women's soccer.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
As we sit here and we embark on a new
era right here at Fresno State for women's soccer, this
valley loves to support a home grown quality product on
the pitch. What do you want to say to everybody
who has been waiting to get someone like maybe yourself
to come from stan State to Fresno State and give
(09:04):
the valley what they want?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, I mean I would just say the first thing
is is that you are going to see our coaches
and our team everywhere in the valley moving forward, whether
it comes to a recruiting or community service or involvement.
We're going to be everywhere. We're here to grow a
great program, but also to support our community, and we
(09:27):
would love for everybody to come support us because, like
I said at the beginning, this program is going to
be Fresnoe built.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Gay Bolton the new head coach at Fresno State from
Fresno State Women's Soccer. We're excited for the Gay Bolton
era to get underway. Can't wait to see how everything goes.
Gave thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Thank you so much. Go Dogs, Go Dogs.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Gay Bolton right there, the new head coach women's soccer
Fresno State. And you know what, whether you're in San Bernardino, Riverside, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Stockton,
wherever you're listening to the show at today, that new
head coach is recruiting right here in California and looking
for the top players to stay at Fresno State. Stay
in California. Make sure you reach out to Gabe Bolton
(10:10):
ck on Sports. It is Fox Sports Radio.
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