PODCAST · sports
Life As A Bobcat
by UC Merced Athletics
Life as a Bobcat is a regular podcast production that features interviews with UC Merced student athletes, coaches, administration and alums about their time in the navy & gold. Listen and subscribe for in-depth stories and to hear what makes UC Merced a special place.
Episodes
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Episode 34 | Ethan Stocker
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...
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Episode 33 | Jazmine Banks
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...
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Episode 32 | Cole Rommelfanger
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…
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Episode 31 | Kiryn Wicker
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…
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Episode 30 | Edwin Casillas
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...
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Episode 29 | Leslie Aquino
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,...
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Episode 28 | Daniel Del Grande
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…
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Episode 27 | Myles Haynes
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...
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Episode 26 | Kacey Rodriguez
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…
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Episode 25 | Ellie Gordon
Life as a Bobcat sits down with Ellie Gordon of UC Merced women's volleyball. From delivering Cal Pac Championships to leading the Bobcats into the NCAA Division II era , to serving as the SAAC Community Outreach Chair, Ellie has been a part of many special experiences here as a Bobcat. She…
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Episode 24 | Thomas Knierieme
UC Merced men's soccer senior Thomas Knierieme joins Life as a Bobcat following the Bobcats first season in the CCAA and NCAA Division II. Knierieme shares many memories of his great soccer journey here in Merced and what it has meant to be on the ride with such a special group of people here in...
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Episode 23 | Arianna Martinez
Life as a Bobcat sits down with senior Arianna Martinez of UC Merced women's water polo. Martinez, who was on the Bobcats first ever women's water polo team in 2023, is now a part of the program's first four-year graduating class. She shares the memorable and rewarding experience of building the...
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Episode 22 | Kasia Holland
Life as a Bobcat sits down with senior Kasia Holland ahead of the 2026 track season. An incredible success story, Kasia shares her journey to becoming a women's cross country and track champion and how she turned her opportunity into a life changing experience both on and off the course and track.
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Episode 21 | Artemio Contreras
UC Merced men's soccer all-time great Artemio Contreras joins Life as a Bobcat to share countless memories and stories from his days on the field. He started his career as the 2015 Cal Pac Freshman of the Year and finished as a NAIA All-American and UC Merced's all-time points leader in 2018.
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Episode 20 | Matthew Lloyd
Life as a Bobcat sits down with UC Merced men's water polo junior goalkeeper Matthew Lloyd. He is the program's all-time leader in saves and is heavily involved on campus currently serving as the SAAC Vice President and as an Athletic Training Student Assistant.
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Episode 19 | Jozef Lingenfelter
2025 graduate Jozef Lingenfelter joins host Andrew Mitchell on Life as a Bobcat. Along with graduation, UC Merced men's volleyball's outside hitter also reached other milestones recently such as winning the Cal Pac Tournament Championship and breaking the program's single-season solo blocks…
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Episode 18 | Sarina Nagra
Life as a Bobcat sits down with Sarina Nagra to chat about her first two years with UC Merced women's basketball. Nagra will talk about her game-winning shot, the Bobcats championships, academics, and much more.
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Episode 17 | Kaeley Cariglio
UC Merced women's soccer's Kaeley Cariglio joins Life as a Bobcat to have a conversation with host Andrew Mitchell about her journey as a student-athlete. Cariglio has been a huge part of the most historical stretch in program history. In this episode, she also breaks down all of her passions and...
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Episode 16 | Piper Ferris
UC Merced women's water polo sophomore Piper Ferris sits down with Andrew Mitchell on Life as a Bobcat. Ferris, who joined the Bobcats from Oregon as part of the program's first ever recruiting class, shares her experiences as a UC Merced student-athlete with stories from road trips, memorable...
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Episode 15 | Sharvin Manjrekar
Sharvin Manjrekar of UC Merced men's cross country and outdoor track sits down with Andrew Mitchell to discuss many topics including racing in national championship meets, earning All-American honors, and finding success in the steeplechase.
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Episode 14 | Kevin Capetillo
Kevin Capetillo is a winner, more importantly he's a Bobcat. UC Merced men's soccer's all-time assists leader joins Life as a Bobcat to discuss his championship and record-breaking career.
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Episode 13 | Howie Zeff
Howie Zeff joins host Andrew Mitchell on Life as a Bobcat ahead of the 2024 UC Merced men's water polo season. The Bobcats senior discusses the upcoming campaign, a little about last season, and the close-knit group that is the UC Merced men's water polo family.
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Episode 12 | Alexa Ultreras
Alexa Ultreras is in the house! The local Merced star has crushed it throughout her career as a Bobcat and she sits down with Andrew Mitchell to discuss a variety of topics including life as a Mercedian and life while wearing the Bobcat blue and gold.
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Episode 11 | Toby Miller
UC Merced men's volleyball senior setter Toby Miller chats with Andrew Mitchell about Central Valley men's volleyball pride, family and teammates, and some of the best destinations in and around Merced. The Cal Pac champ and 1,000+ assist Bobcat provides really great insight that you won't want…
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Episode 10 | Melvin Enrique Diaz
Life as a Bobcat sits down with UC Merced Athletics photographer and creator Melvin Enrique Diaz for stories throughout his time covering the Bobcats. Melvin, who has been nationally recognized for his work, also provides insight on a variety of other topics.
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Episode 9 | Leilani Blecha
UC Merced women's basketball sophomore Leilani Blecha sits down with Andrew Mitchell for a really good conversation about countless topics including hoops, the NCAA Division II transition, her athletic and academic goals, teammates, and of course, Life as a Bobcat.
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Episode 8 | Jaron Mertle
Recent graduate Jaron Mertle is returning for a fifth year with UC Merced men's basketball and has secured a spot in the Master of Management program for 2024-25. Jaron joins host Andrew Mitchell to talk about his journey so far, life in Merced, and much more. Mertle recently earned CSC Academic...
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Episode 7 | Courtney Danna
One of the best to ever lace up on Hostetler Court, 3X Cal Pac champion and 2X NAIA All-American Courtney Danna dives into the tales of her playing days with the Bobcats. Danna also discusses additional UC Merced all-time greats, what it was like transitioning from a player to a coach, as well as...
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Episode 6 | Ryan Steele
Reigning Cal Pac Setter of the Year Ryan Steele sits down with Andrew Mitchell to provide insight on this year's men's volleyball roster, how his personal goals coincide with the team goals, as well as how it felt to gain 150+ friends the moment he stepped on campus. Later on in the podcast, Ryan...
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Episode 5 | Brian Jones
UC Merced men's basketball's assistant coach Brian Jones takes listeners inside his basketball background, both playing and coaching, along with diving into other topics such as the outlook of this year's roster, his business ventures and who he would love to play one-on-one against both in UC...
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Episode 4 | Maria Aguilar-Juarez
Maria Aguilar-Juarez joins Life As A Bobcat to discuss what played into her success at the California Pacific Conference Women's Cross Country Championship meet, how she got into the sport, as well as relaying some peaceful hangout spots in Merced that you can take advantage of from time to time....
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Episode 3 | Emmanuel Egun
If you haven't got the chance to meet Emmanuel Egun or see him play on Hostetler Court, this podcast will do for now. A senior middle blocker on the UC Merced men's volleyball team, Egun shares his stories on a wide range of topics including Bioengineering, campus life and road trips. We also…
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Episode 2 | Ricky Rosas
Ricky Rosas of UC Merced men's soccer joins Life As A Bobcat for a conversation about what brought him to UC Merced, playing in big time games, on-campus involvement and much more. The honorable mention NAIA All-American also gives you insight on his prep for the upcoming season and gives you…
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Episode 1 | Valeria Galvan
Women's volleyball standout Valeria Galvan (2011-14) holds the title of UC Merced's first ever recruited student athlete. Galvan joins Life as a Bobcat to discuss her top Bobcat memories, what she is up to nowadays and how the campus has changed since she first stepped foot on the grounds.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Life as a Bobcat is a regular podcast production that features interviews with UC Merced student athletes, coaches, administration and alums about their time in the navy & gold. Listen and subscribe for in-depth stories and to hear what makes UC Merced a special place.
HOSTED BY
UC Merced Athletics
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Life As A Bobcat have?
Life As A Bobcat currently has 34 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Life As A Bobcat about?
Life as a Bobcat is a regular podcast production that features interviews with UC Merced student athletes, coaches, administration and alums about their time in the navy & gold. Listen and subscribe for in-depth stories and to hear what makes UC Merced a special place.
How often does Life As A Bobcat release new episodes?
Life As A Bobcat has 34 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Life As A Bobcat?
You can listen to Life As A Bobcat on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Life As A Bobcat?
Life As A Bobcat is created and hosted by UC Merced Athletics.
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