Advertise on podcast: Life As A Bobcat

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.

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 shares memories of the Bobcats Hawai'i trip, and many more incredible moments with members of the Bobcat community.

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 the Central Valley. Plus, we dive into his rodeo days as well as building a '68 Camero.

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 program here in the Central Valley.

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.

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.

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.