Eleven LTCC soccer players sign letters of intent

Wednesday was National Signing Day, and eleven players on the the Lake Tahoe Community College Coyote soccer team signed letters of intent and accepted scholarships to attend four-year colleges. LTCC is the only Junior College in the country to send 100 percent of its sophomore team members to a four-year university to play sports.

Another STHS graduate and LTCC soccer player, Andres Orozco, signed a letter of intent to attend University of Antelope Valley in Lancaster, Calif.

The Coyotes made it to the state's Final Four this year and were the Golden Valley Conference Champs.

Among the group of soccer players to sign during the ceremony at the College Commons was 2012 South Tahoe High graduate Carlos Trujeque who became the state's number two ranked field player and the conference Offensive Player of the Year and MVP in 2015. He will be headed to play soccer at San Francisco State University. Trujeque will be majoring in Spanish and wants to become both a Spanish teacher and soccer coach. "I am thankful for everything that has happened," he said.

Men's Head Soccer Coach Nick Arbelaez, who finished in third place for Community College Coach of the Year voting for the entire country, introduced eleven students to a cheering group of students, faculty and staff. He said it was countless hours of work, visiting campuses, talking to coaches on both the part of the players and himself that got the boys to the next level. "This group is the symbol of absolute resilience," said Arbelaez.

The LTCC soccer teammates who signed Wednesday (with their hometowns and college choice):

Michael Akin, Enfield, England – Northern Georgia University (Division II)
Ivan Rodriguez, Las Vegas, NV – San Francisco State (Division II)
Chava Garcia, Las Vegas, NV – Antelope Valley (NAIA)
Carlos Trujeque, South Lake Tahoe, CA – San Francisco State (Division II)
Daniel Valdez, Las Vegas, NV – Antelope Valley (NAIA)
Andres Orozco, South Lake Tahoe, CA – Antelope Valley (NAIA)
Jerrell Cato, London, England – University of San Diego (Division I)
Cameron McConnachie, Stromness, Scotland – Southern Oregon University (NAIA)
Dalton Randal, Las Vegas, NV – Ottawa University, Kansas (NAIA)
Sam Aitken, Lincoln, England – Southern Oregon University (NAIA)
Dylan Obata, Las Vegas, NV – St. Thomas University, Florida (NAIA)

To cap off a day of soccer celebration at the college, interim coach Arbelaez was officially made the school's head coach.