By Stephen Ramirez
Wednesday was the culmination of dreams come true for eight area athletes who made the college choices official by signing scholarship to their respective colleges.The list is led by the La Mirada baseball duo of RJ Lan and Kevin Kendall, who signed with powers Texas Christian and UCLA, respectively, but also features Montebello softball player Victoria Alvarez, who signed with Division I Creighton; the La Habra softball trio of Kira Cauley (Cal State Northridge), Hannah Johnson (Cal State Fullerton) and Alyssa Palacios (Utah); Whittier Christian baseball player Isaiah Carreon (Cal State San Bernardino) and La Mirada golfer Matthew Carungay (Loyola Marymount).

“It’s a great feeling,” said Alvarez, who ranked among the area leaders last season with a .468 batting average, 34 RBIs and 10 home runs. “I always wanted to play D-1, and now today is the day.”
“I really loved the academics (at Creighton). It’s so good. I’ve been trying to get a scholarship based on academics, so that was the thing that sold me.”
Alvarez is also one of the few Montebello athletes in recent years to sign with a Division I program.
Lan and Kendall, who have been two of the area’s better players the past two seasons, will be going to two of the better baseball programs in the country.
TCU has advanced to the College World Series each of the past three seasons. Lan is one of the area’s top hitters after hitting .375 with 22 RBIs last season.
“I loved the coaching staff (at TCU),” Lan said. “I loved how the players and athletes hold themselves and it’s a great place for me to go.”
Kendall, who hit .453 with 30 RBIs last season, joins a UCLA program that won a national title in 2013 and advanced to the CWS championship series in 2012. The Bruins have advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times during the past six seasons.
“I feel very excited,” Kendall said. “I feel very confident in the coaching staff and the other recruits coming in.
“Today, I’m just taking it all in, and I feel fortunate for the opportunities I’ve been given.
“It’s an honor. Being able to get the education that UCLA offers is one part, but to be able to play for one of the best universities, baseball-wise, is remarkable. I’m very excited.”
Cauley, Johnson and Palacios helped the Highlanders to the Freeway League title and the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals last season. Cauley hit .479 with 18 RBIs and stole 17 bases. Johnson was 14-1 with a 0.98 ERA and 92 strike outs.
Carreon hit .356 and had nine doubles.
Two other area players — St. Paul softball player Jaclyn Candelas (UNLV) and Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary girls basketball player Lily Perkins (Eastern Washington) — are expected to sign next week.