Life As A Bobcat

Life as a Bobcat with UC Merced men’s basketball alumni Aki Chambers! Before starting what is now a 14-year professional basketball career in Japan, Chambers co-founded UC Merced men’s basketball and became the 2012-13 Cal Pac Player and an NAIA All-American. After averaging 20+ PPG back-to-back years and earning his accolades, Chambers turned pro and has made a career in Japan. Chambers joins Life as a Bobcat for a conversation about the early days of UC Merced, creating his own opportunity,the epic pickup, intramural, club, and varsity basketball games in the Gallo, and being able to do what he loves for a living.

UC Merced men's water polo senior goalkeeper Ethan Stocker joins Life as a Bobcat. A member of the first recruiting class and first four-year class in program history, Stocker gives great perspective on the first three years and how special the 2026 season can be. A UK native, Stocker will also share stories growing up a Lad, swimming competitively, and his passion for soccer and sports overall.

UC Merced women’s volleyball senior libero Jazmine Banks joins Life as a Bobcat after the opening weekend of the 2026 season. A UC Merced top ten all-time digs leader, Banks has excelled from day one and is already making a lot of noise early in the season. She’s super passionate about her student-athlete experience, and has countless great stories to share with you. From her volleyball career with family and friends to the engineering field, it’s been a beautiful journey.

UC Merced men’s cross country and track senior Cole Rommelfanger sits down with the Life as a Bobcat podcast ahead of the 2026 cross country season. Rommelfanger, who is a 4x800 school record holder and owns top three program times in the 800m and 1500m, shares stories from his firstthree years and the excitement ahead to compete in the CCAA and NCAA. Other highlights of the conversation include winning Cal Pac Championships, running over 13,000 miles since freshman year of high school, awesome Yosemite hikes, and civil engineering.

Merced native and UC Merced women’s water polo junior Kiryn Wicker sits down with Life as a Bobcat to discuss playing for her hometown university and what it has been like to be a key part of a growing program. Wicker is already nearing the century mark in career goals and is the program’s all-time steals leader. Outside of the pool, Wicker will share some can’t miss spots in Merced as well as some of her favorite day trips you should take while you are out here.

UC Merced men's soccer 2026 graduate Edwin Casillas sits down with Life as a Bobcat for a conversation about his outstanding career in the Bobcat blue & gold. Edwin takes so much pride in being a Bobcat and is blessed to be a part of the UC Merced community and the men's soccer brotherhood. From his greatness on the field to his impressive engineering endeavors, Edwin distinguished himself as an outstanding scholar-athlete.

UC Merced women's cross country and track star Leslie Aquino joins Life as a Bobcat to share her inspiring success story. She hold's the Bobcats 800m, 1500m, and 3000m records and helped lead the Bobcats to conference championships to finish out the Cal Pac era. Before committing to be a Bobcat, she moved from Mexico to the United States and became the Valedictorian of East Bakersfield High School.

UC Merced men's volleyball's Daniel Del Grande sits down with the Life as a Bobcat Podcast. The middle blocker just wrapped up his playing career ranked top ten in program history with 131 blocks and a .326 hitting percentage. After two degrees and two championships, Del Grande returned for a fifth year to play in the Bobcats first ever season in the MPSF and go through UC Merced's Teacher Preparation Program.

Life as a Bobcat sits down with UC Merced men's basketball's Myles Haynes for an in-depth conversation covering his entire journey here in the blue and gold. A number of surreal opportunities came Mylo's way and he was proud to represent the Bobcats every single moment. From playing 97 games and founding a nonprofit organization to speaking on behalf of UC Merced Athletics in signature moments and winning the Bobcat Award, Mylo's experiences continue to shape who he is today.

2026 Bobcat Award winner Kacey Rodriguez joins the Life as a Bobcat podcast just days after earning UC Merced Athletics' top yearly honor. The latest Ambassador of UC Merced Athletics would run through a wall for this university and she sits down with host Andrew Mitchell to discuss her love for UC Merced. Hear about Kacey's experience overall and what she was able to accomplish in just 3.5 years. The Central Valley native also shares all the great day trips form Merced.