3 Bear Creek athletes sign their letter of intent to play in college

The Bear Creek baseball, softball, and cheer community all gathered in the school’s theater Monday evening to once one of their own take the next step in their athletic career.

“We’ve been fortunate to have these three athletes here at Bear Creek as our forever Bruin family, and we take pride in them,” said Darcy Altheide, Bear Creek’s athletic director. “Less than 2% of high school athletes get a chance at playing sports on the next level. I personally want to wish all of them the absolute best.”

Here are the three Bear Creek athletes who signed their national letter of intent to play at the collegiate level in their respective sports.

(Athletes listed in alphabetical order)

Mea Alamillo

College/University: William Jessup University

Sport: Cheerleading

Alamillo is the only Bruin cheerleader in her class, taking her cheering to the next level. The senior will be joining the Warriors up and coming cheer program. She will also become her family’s first generation to go to college.

“I’m really excited because I’ve dreamed about being a collegiate cheerleader, and since I’m actually fulfilling the dream, I’m really happy,” Alamillo said. “Jessup is a top nationally ranked stunt program, and they have a small campus which can keep me focused on school and sports.”

Gianna Galli

College/University: University of Nebraska in Kearney

Sport: Softball

Following a knee injury that took her out her sophomore year, Galli pushed through and earned her spot at the University of Nebraska in Kearney, an NCAA Division II school. She has played on varsity all four years at Bear Creek and last year led her team to a San Joaquin Athletic Association championship. She leads the Bruins’ offense with a 0.652 batting average and six home runs this season.

“I had a couple of offers from schools in California, but the second I got to Nebraska, I felt right at home,” Galli said. “I’m most looking forward to chasing a national championship with those girls at UNK and just learning the school’s environment.”

Lukas Long

School/University: Whitter College

Sport: Baseball

Long, the Bruins’ right-handed pitcher, will continue his baseball career in SoCal at Whittier College, an NCAA Division III school. In his final season at Bear Creek, Long has made the second-most appearances on the mound, seven. He has a record of 3-4 as of Monday and will look to beef it up some more as the regular season closes and playoffs are right around the corner. He will be a two-way player for the Poets in the spring of 2024.

“Ever since middle school, I wanted to play college baseball,” Long said. “I love baseball. I want to keep playing as long as I can, and Whitter was the obvious choice to go there when I got into their tuition program for academics.”

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Bear Creek athletes sign letters of intent to play in college