Stefanie Christoferson

The Cal Ripken of NCAA softball comes from Santa Barbara.  Christoferson, a graduate of San Marcos High School in 1997, almost never missed a game in college and holds the NCAA record for most career games played of 304 while at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 10998 to 2001.

The catcher’s impressive collegiate career included being named the MVP of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference twice and an All-American in 2001.  She led the Flames to the NCAA Regionals in each of the four years she played and finished her career with a .344 batting average (312 hits) with 37 HR and 179 RBI.  Christoferson was a key piece of the best season in school history as the Flames were 67-17 in 2000.  Softball took Christoferson to Italy to play professionally for one season right after college.

In Santa Barbara, Christoferson was on the News Press All-County Team for basketball and softball in her junior and senior years with the Royals.  San Marcos named her its overall Athlete of the Year in 1997 and she was induced into the Royals Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.  A four-year varsity player in both sports, she earned eight letters for the Royals.  In softball, Christoferson earned a full scholarship to UCI by being named to the Channel League’s First Team for four straight years and leading the Royals to two league championships.

Christoferson credits a strong support system with her athletic success, noting coaches, teammates, and family as playing a vital role.  Now a police officer in Illinois, Christoferson lives with partner Jennifer Casey and daughter Mia.