College notes: Turlock football star shines at UCLA pro day; MC alums shine on court
UCLA’s football pro day featured a name familiar to Stanislaus District football fans. Running back Anthony Frias II shined at the workout event hosted by Bruins coaching staff where players could showcase their on-field skills, provide measurables and throw weight on the bar for the bench press for NFL scouts.
According to those who attended the pro day, Frias was one of the standouts. He especially shined on the bench press, posting 30 reps, according to UCLA’s athletics communications staff. That would have been good for best among all running backs at the NFL Draft Combine that was from Feb. 26 to March 1 in Indianapolis, and among the top five of all players.
“I’ve always had the dream of playing in the NFL,” Frias told the Turlock Journal in a story published Wednesday.
After starring at Turlock High, Frias starred at Modesto JC as a freshman and then transferred to Kansas State, where he redshirted and played his redshirt sophomore season. His redshirt junior and senior seasons were in Los Angeles, where he saw his role increase drastically. As a redshirt senior in Westwood, he played in all 12 games as a reserve running back and led UCLA with an average of 7.6 yards per carry.
Frias, along with a number of other prospects from top colleges around the country, hopes his name is called April 23 at the NFL Draft.
“As for it being a realistic goal, it started once I got to UCLA,” he told the Journal. “At UCLA, there’s just a lot of connections with people from across the league. We’d always have conversations and exit meetings where guys would encourage me and say that I could make it in the league with my build and style of play if I just kept working hard.”
Pitman alum Mya Sanchez debuts in pro soccer
Former Pitman standout goalkeeper Mya Sanchez turned heads in her four-year career at Oregon State enough to continue her career after college.
In late February, it was announced that Sanchez signed with Shelbourne Football Club in Dublin, Ireland. The team competes in the League of Ireland’s Premier Division.
Sanchez finished her Oregon State career sixth in program history in saves (210). The club in Ireland is Sanchez’s first pro contract.
“I’m incredibly excited to sign for Shelbourne and become part of such a historic club,” she said when she signed. “It means a lot to join an organization with passionate supporters, and I’m grateful for this amazing opportunity. I can’t wait to get to work!”
As a senior, Sanchez started all 19 matches and finished second in the West Coast Conference with 101 saves. That year, she had a career-best, 10-save game against the University of San Francisco.
Shelbourne FC Head Coach Sean Russell had high praise for his incoming rookie when she first signed in February. “Mya is a goalkeeper who has a lot of quality. She is comfortable in possession and is commanding in her box. We are delighted to bring her to Shelbourne Football Club.”
Sanchez already has played in matches with the Reds, recording her first career pro shutout recently.
Gavin Sykes finishes season strong for Long Beach State
Modesto Christian graduate Gavin Sykes started his freshman season at Long Beach State strong and never let up, finishing as one of the nation’s freshman scoring leaders with 19.4 points per game on 47/39/80 shooting splits. The Beach did not make the college postseason (NCAA Tournament, NIT, etc.) so Sykes’ freshman campaign is over, but he ended it with a bang. He averaged 26 points a game over his last five contests. and in the team’s final three gzames, he scored 28, a career-high 39, and 34 points, respectively.
Sykes also earned postseason awards. The 6-foot-4 guard was named the Big West Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-Big West. According to the Long Beach State athletics website, Sykes finished the season as one of just six freshmen in the nation averaging over 19 points a game and he broke the Long Beach State freshman season scoring record and the freshman single-game scoring record.
He finished with 30-plus points on four occasions and scored at least 20 points 15 times. He finished second in the Big West in scoring during conference play (20.9 ppg) Sykes’ 542 total points this season rank 25th in school history.
BJ Davis hits game winner for SDSU
The heroics on the biggest stage in mid-major college basketball continue for Modesto Christian product BJ Davis. Days after scoring a career-high 30 points in a win over UNLV, Davis made a driving, righthanded scoop layup to beat New Mexico 64-62 and send the Aztecs to the Mountain West championship game. With 25 seconds left in the back-and-forth affair, Davis attacked the rim from the right side, jumped and maneuvered his body and the ball around three defenders to make the layup with 2.1 seconds left. He finished the game with 12 points, tied his career high with six assists and added six rebounds and three steals.
The Aztecs fell in the conference championship to Utah State, meaning they did not get the conference’s only guaranteed NCAA Tournament bid. They also failed to make March Madness as an at-large team. They were one of the first four teams out when the brackets released on Selection Sunday. Head coach Brian Dutcher released a statement shortly after the Aztecs learned their fate, saying the team would not accept an invitation to any postseason events like the NIT.
Davis was one of the nation’s most productive reserves. He received All-Mountain West Honorable Mention. He led the No. 2-ranked scoring bench in the nation and was the second-leading scorer on the team (10.8 ppg).
Wentworth shows power at Oklahoma State
Former Central Catholic three-sport star TP Wentworth is putting together a great offensive stretch for the Oklahoma State baseball team. The outfielder/pitcher two-way player went to Clemson after a senior year where he won Modesto Bee football and baseball player of the year awards. After his freshman year at Clemson, he transferred to Oklahoma State, where his dad, Kevin, was an All American golfer. On the mound this season, Wentworth has a 5.40 earned run average in 8.1 innings pitched, with seven strikeouts and a win. Offensively, among Cowboys with at least 15 games played this season, he ranks fourth in batting average (.315). On the season, he also has 17 hits, 12 runs scored and seven RBI.
In recent games, Wentworth has shown his power, hitting four home runs in his last eight games. He has seven total hits in that span, including a double and a pair of multi-hit games.
Contreras finding groove at Fullerton
After a standout prep career at Gregori High School and a productive freshman year at Modesto JC, Paul Contreras is finding his groove as a junior at Cal State Fullerton. Last year, he started 36 of the 38 games he played for the Titans, but in his second year in Southern California, he is on pace to post career numbers. He has started all 19 games this season and increased his batting average to .328. He has 22 hits with three doubles, 11 runs scored, a career-high three stolen bases and has already hit four home runs after hitting six all of last year.
While he has been consistently good the entire season, Contreras has picked up his play this month. As of March 19, he has 15 hits in the month, with five multi-hit games in nine outings. In Fullerton’s March 17 game against UNLV, he set a single-game career high for hits, going three-for-four with an eighth-inning home run.
Jalen Brown earns honors at Dominguez Hills
Modesto Christian graduate Jalen Brown impressed in his first season at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Salinas native returned to California after two seasons at Regis University in Colorado. In his first season with the Toros, he was named a First Team All-CCAA selection and a Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association First-Team All-West Region Selection. His selection to the All-West team means he is eligible for All-American consideration.
Brown joined the Toros and by the end of the regular season was top 15 in the CCAA in three-point field goal percentage, field goal percentage, steals and free throw percentage. He scored 20 or more points in six games, including a season-high 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting against San Francisco State.
Brown and the Toros entered the season as the defending champions of the NCAA Division II West Region. Entering the 2025-26 D-II postseason, they were the No. 5 seed in the West Region. They beat No. 4 Alaska Anchorage 69-58 but fell to undefeated Cal State East Bay, the No. 1 seed in the West Region and the No. 2 team in the nation.
Stanislaus State
Stan State pitcher earns conference honors
Junior pitcher Alexandria “Yaya” Himes earned FloCollege/California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Softball Pitcher of the Week honors on March 16 after leading the Warriors to a pair of conference wins against Cal State San Bernardino. Himes went 2-0, pitching a pair of complete games. She finished the week with a 1.00 ERA and allowed just 10 hits, had six strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a .196 batting average. The best performance of the week for Jessup University transfer was a complete-game shutout in a 5-0 Warriors win.
Himes and Stan State (14-10, 3-5 CCAA) continue CCAA play March 27-28 with a four-game series at Chico State.
Ripon High grad Annie Wild leads list of Indoor All-Americans
The accolades continue to roll in for Ripon High graduate and Stan State distance runner Annie Wild as she was named on the most recent list of All Americans at the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Wild’s 4-minute, 45.45-second performance in the women’s mile was good for third at the national event. The junior and defending national champion finished on the podium and earned First Team All-America honors, her fifth All-America award during her Stan State career.
Stan State’s Alexis Nino earned Second Team All-America recognition in the women’s shot put, and the distance medley relay group of Wild, Izzy Soto, Mila Real and Crystal Hernandez collected Second Team All-America honors.
Stan State big man earns first Freshman of the Year in over 20 years
Freshman Malachi Johnson made an immediate impact for the Stan State men’s basketball team. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 50.3% shooting. He started 27 of 28 games. For his standout debut season, he was named California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Freshman of the Year and earned All-CCAA Second Team honors. The awards are voted on by the conference’s coaches. Johnson is the Warriors’ first CCAA Freshman of the Year since Mesut Ademoglu in the 2002-03 season.
Johnson entered the NCAA transfer portal along with his twin brother Malik (5.3 points, 4 rebounds at Stan State) shortly after the Warriors’ 13-15 season and both have reportedly received interest from a number of Division I schools. Both are Sacramento products from Inderkum High and battled Modesto Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
Modesto JC
MJC Athletics to Host 25th Annual Pirates Fest Fundraiser
The Modesto JC athletics department announced another year of its community fundraiser, the Pirates Fest, that is set for April 11, 2026, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the MJC East Campus Gym for an evening of beer, wine and food tasting. Attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets are $60 per person or $40 with considered contribution. MJC supporters and alumni join forces with community members for a night of celebration of Pirates athletics. There will be offerings from 30 breweries, wineries and local food vendors, silent auction, sports memorabilia and other prizes. Proceeds benefit Pirates student athletes.
For more information, contact 209-575-6270 or 209-575-6440.
