Blake Cederlind, Joshua Sykes realize Division I dreams

Community college athletics are sometimes looked down upon by those that have never been a part of them.

Plenty of student-athletes opt not to pursue playing beyond high school because they didn’t garner the attention of four-year schools. But for every one of those, there is a kid who uses the community college system as a second opportunity.

There are always talented athletes who slip through the recruiting cracks, didn’t take care of business in the classroom or just need a little extra time to mature. Merced College’s Blake Cederlind and Fresno City College’s Joshua Sykes are perfect examples.

Neither had a ton of options coming out of high school. After two years of putting in the work and keeping the faith, Cederlind and Sykes both signed letters of intent to play at Division I schools next year.

“There were some smaller schools interested in me coming out of high school, but I felt like I could do better if I got a little more exposure,” Cederlind said after accepting a full ride to play baseball at UC Davis. “I was kind of shocked how it went. Davis showed a lot of interest in me from the beginning. It’s close to home and one of the best schools in the nation for what it does.

“The opportunity couldn’t have been much better.”

The big right-hander from Turlock was 3-1 in 15 games for the Blue Devils last year, striking out 17 in 21 2/3 innings. Cederlind said he was pleased to have his future squared away before the start of his sophomore campaign, and that the comfort level he felt with Davis made it an easy decision.

Sykes had a similar experience with Loyola Marymount.

The Golden Valley graduate averaged 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a freshman at Fresno City but started garnering interest with his performances at community college showcases in the summer and fall. Teams loved his athleticism and 6-foot-8 frame and soon had his name associated with a half dozen Pacific-12 Conference schools.

LMU won him over with one visit.

“I decided going in that I had to just go with what felt right,” Sykes said. “I knew Loyola was the perfect choice as soon as I visited. They’re the only school I ended up visiting.

“Going the JC rout really helped me, because I didn’t know what I wanted coming out of high school. I needed that first year to mature and figure some things out. I feel like it worked out pretty well.”

Leaving their marks

UC Merced had its best overall fall season in school history. The California Pacific Conference obviously took note with numerous Bobcats hauling in postseason hardware.

The biggest accolade went to sophomore volleyball player Rachael Schaefer, who was named the Cal Pac Player of the Year after leading the Bobcats with 255 kills. Her all-around game helped set Schaefer apart from the field – she also had 31 aces and 183 digs.

The UC Merced men’s and women’s soccer teams both had six representatives on the all-conference teams with the men hauling in the most major awards.

Center back Andy Galvan was a stalwart on a Bobcats back line that yielded just 17 goals in 18 games and was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year. Artemio Contreras tied with Cody Golbad for a team-high 13 goals and had eight assists to earn Freshman of the Year.

Midfielder Brian Chongtoua joined the pair on the Cal-Pac first team, while David Esparza, Golbad and Luis Martinez-Stucchi were named to the second team.

After helping produce the third stingiest women’s defense in the nation with a microscopic 0.4 goals-against average, Bobcats goalkeeper Maggie Morales defended her Cal Pac Defender of the Year award. Leading scorer Daisy Bonilla and center back Desiree Coles were also named to the first team. Malaysia Avery, Marissa Giovannoni and Veronica Villacortareceived second-team nods.

Ready to run

The UC Merced trio of Sofia Rios, Daniel Pena and Anthony Tyler are set to run in Saturday’s NAIA Championship race in Charlotte, N.C.

The women’s race is set for 10:30 a.m. at McAlpine Creek Park. The men will follow at 11:45 a.m. Rios is running in the championship meet for her fourth and final time. Pena will run for the second time after racing as a sophomore two years ago. Tyler, a freshman from Lompoc, will make his postseason debut.

Seizing the opportunity

Sarah Callister has certainly paid her dues.

The former Golden Valley soccer star was a walk-on at Utah Valley three years ago. After fighting her way onto the pitch and earning a partial scholarship, Callister became a pivotal factor in the Wolverines first Western Athletic Conference title.

The redshirt sophomore finished the year with three goals and seven assists, putting the finishing touches on Utah Valley’s 2-0 victory over rival Seattle with a second-half goal in the conference title game. The win earned Utah Valley its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Blake Cederlind, Joshua Sykes realize Division I dreams."