Cupcakes, balloons and excited coaches: Signing Day in the Stanislaus District

There were balloon and cupcake clusters of every color – and plenty of pens.

On campuses and facilities throughout the Stanislaus District, athletes celebrated Signing Day with a signature locking in their college commitment.

Twitter was there to capture many of the moments. Here’s a quick glance at some of the athletes who signed letters of intent last week:

Orange and Black attack: It was a productive week for colleges with orange and black colors. The Pacific women’s basketball team received a commitment from rising recruit Kaylin Randhawa of Pitman High, while Central Catholic golfer Tyler Ward also chose the Tigers. Ward’s classmate, pitcher Joey Mundt, signed with another orange-and-black Division I school: Oregon State, arguably the nation’s top program.

Bonsu’s elite: Six student-athletes gathered at Bonsu Elite Athletics in Ceres to celebrate Signing Day with family and friends. Owner Les Bonsu hosts this event annually as a way to honor the athletes he helps train. Many of these athletes travel great lengths to work with Bonsu, including Tracy High’s Rachel Cid, who signed with Oregon softball; Riley Kuderca of Patterson, an Arizona softball recruit; and Modesto Christian’s Gabe Murphy, who will play basketball at Northwest Nazarene.

Sylvan Avenue Spartan: Beyer multisport athlete Ben Polack signed his letter of intent to play baseball at San Jose State. A pitcher and outfielder, Polack celebrated at home with friends and family. Beyer boys basketball coach Kyle McKim also dropped in. Polack is a versatile talent. He started at quarterback this fall, setting the school record for rushing yards in a game. He’s also an all-conference guard in the winter.

Hoop dreams: The Modesto Christian boys basketball team had two players sign letters of intent. Junior Ballard, a transfer from Lathrop, will continue his journey at Cal Poly, while Murphy’s next stop is Northwest Nazarene, a private Christian college in Idaho. Both players signed their letters of intent in the foyer of the school gymnasium, where the college jerseys of notable alumni hang overhead. Murphy’s signing was well received in the athletic offices at Northwest Nazarene. The men’s basketball team tweeted: “The future of Nighthawk Basketball just took a huge step in the right direction.”

Mustang pride: Five Oakdale student-athletes signed to Division I universities. Bronson Harmon and Jake Ryan will wrestle at Cal Poly, while Colbey Harlan will grapple at Stanford. Softball player Grace Green fulfilled a lifelong dream by signing with Oklahoma. Volleyball player Abigail Matoso signed with St. Mary’s, where her father Mike Matoso is the Athletic Director.

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Cupcakes, balloons and excited coaches: Signing Day in the Stanislaus District."