Tianna Sidtikun draws inspiration from her older sister Sidtia.
“She has definitely been a big role model to me,” Tianna said. “But I definitely want to do better than her.”
Kidding, of course.
“I’ve always looked up to her,” the Ripon High senior added. “My family is a big part of my life.”
Tianna was joined by family and friends Wednesday morning at Ripon’s North Gym, as they celebrated her big moment on National Signing Day — she’s bound for University of Arizona to continue her soccer career.
“It felt like a big relief,” Sidtikun said of signing her National Letter of Intent. “It’s finally done. It’s official. I honestly never thought I could do it, but I tried really hard to be where I am. It shows that hard work pays off in the end and it’s all worth it.”
Tianna follows in her sister’s footsteps toward college athletics.
Sidtia graduated from Ripon and went on to play soccer for Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay. She was a four-year standout in high school, thrice making the All-Trans Valley League soccer team while helping Ripon capture a Sac-Joaquin Section championship in 2010.
The younger Sidtikun has paved her own path to the next level. Named All-TVL Most Valuable Offensive Player her freshman year, she has since decided to play other sports for Ripon High. She is getting ready for her third varsity campaign with the basketball team and just concluded her only season with the cross country team.
Sidtikun caught the eye of Arizona coach Tony Amato in the summer of 2017 while competing for Elk Grove Soccer in the San Diego Surf Cup. She also considered Nebraska, Santa Barbara, Alabama and San Jose State but committed to Arizona late in her sophomore year.
Sidtikun will play midfielder for Arizona, which is currently 11-6-1 and 5-5-1 in Pac-12 play.
“I always wanted to play Division I,” she said. “I loved the campus when I visited. It’s everything I’ve wanted my college life to be. I got to meet with the coaches and the players and loved everybody.”
Sidtikun will have opportunities to reunite with former teammate Jadyn Shinn, Sierra High’s all-time leading scorer and current freshman midfielder at Pac-12 rival Cal. Shinn is another product of the San Jose Earthquakes Academy, and the two played together during their time with Modesto Ajax. Sidtikun has also played for Manteca FC.
She plans to study medicine and aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon.