Milestone moment: Dietz surpasses 1,000 career points to make El Capitan history.
Monday night was a moment to remember for El Capitan High senior Mady Dietz as she eclipsed 1,000 career points in the Gauchos’ 63-23 victory over Manteca on the first day of the Tom Hawkins Tracy Breakfast Lions Tournament. Her teammates stormed the court to celebrate after Dietz drained the milestone basket.
Dietz became the first player in program history to score 1,000 points for the Gauchos. She came in 18 points shy of the mark and scored 19 in the victory. “It was a cool moment,” Dietz said. “Everyone came together to help me reach that big goal. So it was amazing. I was super excited because all the hard work just kind of paid off, and it's just a super cool moment that I'll remember for the rest of my life. I really hope that a lot of other girls follow in my footsteps, and hit that 1000-mark too, one day.”
The Gauchos improved to 13-2 on the season as Rayonn Maxie scored 16 points and Alexis Valenzuela added 14 points. El Capitan will play Tracy in the second round today at 4 p.m. Dietz received flowers and posed for photos with teammates, coaches and family after the game. “It was special to see, because I've had the pleasure of getting to coach her the last four years,” said El Capitan High first-year coach Adam Her. “I've got to see her put in the work almost every step of the way.It's a big accomplishment, getting to watch her do it at the varsity level, and also she's the first one to do it in program history. So it was super amazing to see that.”
Dietz became the second MUHSD girls basketball player to reach 1,000 career points this season as she joined Merced High’s Averie Steverson, who surpassed the milestone against East Union earlier this month.
Dietz said she knew she was closing in on the milestone but she didn’t want to know how many points she needed because she just wanted to focus on the games. “I wouldn't really let anyone tell me, because I didn't want to put extra pressure or kind of worry about scoring,” Dietz said. “I really wanted to keep it simple, and focused on playing good basketball.”
For Dietz to become the first member of the 1,000-point club is remarkable when you consider the time she allocates to her other activities. She’s heavily involved with FFA, including winning a major award at the California State Fair in July when she took home the Grand Champion Market Goat. Dietz also helped lead the Gauchos girls flag football team to the playoffs, helped the El Capitan girls golf team win a third consecutive Central California Conference championships and qualified as an individual for the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championship. She’ll also run track this spring.