2 top Pasco athletes commit to colleges. And the future of CBC soccer program

There are a bunch of newsworthy local sports notes this week, including a couple of Chiawana High School standout athletes who announced their plans for next season.

Alyssa Agundis will continue to play basketball next winter.

Columbia Basin College women’s head coach Roosevelt Smith was able to sign Agundis to play on the CBC campus.

Agundis was named the Mid-Columbia Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in both her sophomore and junior seasons, and she was a member of the MCC all-defensive team this past season.

Riley Cissne has committed to Whitworth University, where he’ll play baseball.

Cissne had options as a three-sport star, playing football or wrestling too.

He even considered playing football and baseball at Whitworth. But baseball is his best sport. Last year, as a junior catcher, Cissne was named the Mid-Columbia Conference Player of the Year for a middle-of-the-pack Riverhawks team.

CBC soccer program

In the late-to-the-party notice, the CBC men’s and women’s soccer programs should continue their recent success after their head coaches — women’s coach Omar Anderson and men’s coach Martin Ramirez — were signed to stay at their positions last month.

Now, what does that mean?

Over the last few years, CBC has made a concerted effort to have all of its head coaches on campus for the entire work week.

Back about five or six years ago, it seemed that only the volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball head coaches had jobs on campus. All other sports coaches were at CBC for just their coaching jobs, and maybe they had another job off campus.

Neither Anderson nor Ramirez were full-time CBC employees these past few years.

Anderson was named 2018 East Region Coach of the Year, and last fall his team was 15-2-4 and made the NWAC playoffs.

Last season, Ramirez’s men took the East Region crown and was among the Final Four in the NWAC tournament.

Still, both Anderson and Ramirez had to throw their hats into the ring this off season when CBC’s administration went looking for coaches in full-time positions on campus – something the school has to, by law, do.

As it turned out, CBC athletic director Scott Rogers, said that both Anderson and Ramirez were the best candidates for their respective jobs. They both will work in the academic advising department this coming fall.

Meanwhile, as they both recruit new players, they’re also doing their job helping current players move on to four-year schools.

Ramirez has at this point three players moving on. Jason Cortes (Kennewick) has already been announced that he’ll be playing for Montana State University Billings.

But now Brian Licona (Sunnyside) is headed to St. Martin’s, and Armando Nieblas (Pasco) will play at Warner Pacific.

Anderson has five players headed to four-year schools: Danielle Chang (Hawaii), Tihanee Freitas (Hawaii) and Megan Haugen (Richland) will all be at the University of Providence in Great Falls; Mikayla Hunter (Kamiakin) is headed to Warner Pacific, and Myesha Moss (Lakes) will play for York College in Nebraska.

Signing notes

• Alex Anteau (Hermiston) has finished her two seasons of women’s soccer at Blue Mountain Community College, and she’ll be playing this fall at Multnomah University.

• Geovanni Carranza-Chavez, a senior at Connell, has agreed to play for the CBC men’s soccer team this coming fall.

• Estefania Cossio (Richland/WWCC) will be playing women’s soccer this fall at Bushnell University in Oregon, formerly Northwest Christian University.

• Esgar Garcia-Avila (Hermiston) has finished his two years at Blue Mountain Community College. He’ll continue to play men’s soccer at Bushnell University in Oregon.

• Grace Hipke (Richland), who helped lead Peninsula to the NWAC women’s soccer championship game last fall, has agreed to play for the University of Providence this fall in Montana.

• Miguel Hoyos (Hermiston) is moving from Blue Mountain Community College to Multnomah University to play men’s soccer.

• Mahala LaForge (Pomeroy), a sophomore at CBC, will continue her women’s collegiate golf career this fall at the College of Idaho.

• Kylee Manning (WWCC) is transferring to the University of Providence, in Montana, to play women’s soccer.

• Joseph McEnderfer, a Pasco High senior, has signed a letter of intent to play men’s golf for CBC this fall.

• Rhyanne Oates (WWCC) is transferring to Eastern Oregon University, where she’ll continue to play softball.

• Abby Ostrander (Richland/CBC) is heading this fall to play women’s golf for Corban University.

• Jodanni Osuna (Grandview) has signed a letter of intent to play men’s soccer this fall for Eastern Oregon University.

• Jose Peralta (Riverside/WWCC) has transferred to Corban University to play men’s soccer for his final two years of eligibility.

• Hanford High senior Annie Polster will be playing college softball next spring for the College of Idaho.

• Ian Reynoso (WWCC) is headed to Northwest University in Kirkland to play men’s soccer this fall.

• Adrian Roa (Irrigon), who just finished his sophomore season at Blue Mountain CC, signed last week to play baseball at Eastern Oregon University.

• Mariel Salinas (Walla Walla) is transferring from Blue Mountain CC to play women’s soccer at Multnomah University.

• Kamiakin senior Regan Schumacher signed a letter to play women’s golf this fall for CBC.

• Pitcher Trent Sellers (Kennewick) just finished his sophomore season at CBC. He’ll continue playing baseball next spring at Lewis-Clark State College.

• Kamiakin senior Alison Slocum will be playing women’s golf this fall for CBC.

• Women’s soccer player Emily Sondag (Hanford) will be playing this fall at Carroll College in Montana.

• Gabriel Torres (Walla Walla Valley Academy) has signed a letter to play men’s soccer for Western Washington University.