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Raynona Fraker signs to defend Edmonds College pitch
- Klas Stolpe
- May 20
- 5 min read
Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi High School senior will be a Tritons keeper
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi High School senior Raynona Fraker signed a letter of intent Tuesday to attend Edmonds College in Lynnwood, Washington, and be a soccer goalkeeper for the Tritons.
“It is a school I have liked for a long time,” Fraker said. “I know a lot of people who have gone there, and it is just a school that I have loved. It wasn’t my only choice. I had an offer from another school, but I decided to stay closer to home because of family. The other offer was in North Dakota, and I have nobody there.”
The Tritons play in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), the largest community college conference in the United States. They have earned two NWAC championships, four region titles and multiple top-four finishes. They’re also known for developing players to move on to four-year universities for athletics as well as academics.
“College is a significant transition,” Edmonds College head coach Nicholas (Nico) Arellano said. “Especially for out-of-state student athletes, who must adapt to managing their time, self-structuring their class schedule, balancing multiple daily practices, homesickness and navigating the new experience of living independently.”
Arellano will be entering his fourth year at the helm of the Tritons. He was a goalie on championship teams at Evergreen Valley College (San Jose, California) and NCAA DII Notre Dame de Namur University (Belmont, California). And he played professionally for Real San Jose of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and twice received the NPSL National All-Star Award for goalkeeping.
“Raynona is an athletic and versatile player capable of playing both goalkeeper and defender,” Arellano said. “She will compete at the goalkeeper position. She needs to focus on sharpening her specialized goalkeeper skills, particularly her ability to play with her feet and footwork.”
Continued Arellano, “The Edmonds program is player-centered, emphasizing defensive structure and offensive freedom. While giving 100% is expected, what distinguishes a player is their coachability and ability to adapt to varying game plans.”
Fraker plans to major in sociology.
“I want to do it before I take criminology,” Fraker said. “They did not have criminology as an option and I really want to be a cop in my future and a detective. Taking sociology is a step along the way. I have always wanted to be a cop. Ever since I was a little kid, it has always been a big part of my life. My uncle, Bob Beasley (5/19/1958-8/17/2019), was the chief of police in Yakutat and other towns. I loved him. He was a big inspiration for me.”
Fraker understands the challenge of moving to the next level.
“I think just making sure I have a workout plan,” Fraker said. “Being in the best shape I can before I get into, like, I guess the big leagues. Up until I moved to JD, my first years, I didn’t even have a goalie coach. We just had coaches that kind of focused on the field players instead of the goalies. Coach Nico will be sending me workouts that I have to do, and I am going to be ready. And I will also need to work and save up as much money as I can for college.”
Fraker first played soccer in elementary school at Yakutat.
“It was in the gym, and I was actually a goalie,” she said. “I loved being the goalie. But the first time I ever played with a team was at Thunder Mountain my sophomore year. I have only ever really played goalie.”
Fraker moved to Juneau in fifth grade, attending the now-defunct Floyd Dryden Middle School, but she did not play middle school or club soccer. As a freshman at the now-defunct Thunder Mountain High School, she was a thrower on the track team and did not take to the pitch until the following season. She also played basketball those two seasons at TMHS.
“She forced her way onto the court and the field with sheer attitude and effort,” former TMHS basketball coach Andy Lee said. “Every team needs a Raynona.”
As a junior she attended Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé and has played two seasons of basketball and soccer.
“From the games I watched of Edmonds last year, it appears they wanted to get the ball up quickly from the back,” JDHS head soccer coach Matt Dusenberry said. “And Raynona has a big punt that can do that for them.”
Fraker is the first student-athlete from Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi to sign for a college sport.
“Raynona makes Yaaḵoosgé proud, representing us as a student athlete,” said Lindsey Cassidy, an English and history teacher at Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi and Fraker’s advisor. “She is a fighter whether she is on the field, on the court or playing a vocabulary game.”
The JDHS Crimson Bears will host Ketchikan on Wednesday and South Anchorage on Friday and Saturday. JDHS has qualified for the state championships at Matanuska-Susitna Valley high schools Colony, Palmer and Wasilla on May 28-30.
“It is pretty amazing to watch the youngest baby girl be able to go to college and do something that I never got to do,” Fraker’s mom, Barbara Tyler, said. “It is exciting. We are really looking forward to seeing what she gets to do.”
Added stepfather Josh Tyler, “It has been awesome watching her grow up and seeing how mature she has become. It is a shocker to the family because everybody plays basketball, and she played for the varsity basketball team, but it is awesome to see her do her own thing and become an independent woman. We are just extremely proud.”
Fraker has stated that her hero is older sister Rose Fraker, a 2009 Yakutat High School graduate, who was inducted into the Alaska School Activities Association Hall of Fame on April 26, and is the 2025 winner of the Juneau Lions Club Gold Medal Basketball Tournament’s Walter Soboleff Award for sportsmanship, leadership, spirit, motivation, and pride in their team, their village and their community.
“This is great for Raynona, super proud of her,” Rose Fraker said. “I love that she has dedicated herself to the life of sports. So much to learn from other than just the game. I am excited to see where it takes her and what she accomplishes.”
Fraker joins 2025 JDHS graduates Priscilla Lam, who plays center back for the Tritons, and Milina Mazon, who plays forward. The Tritons’ NWAC record improved by six wins with their addition last season, and now with Fraker and Colony High School seniors Avery Giegerich and Addy Stewart committing to their pitch, those numbers are expected to improve.
“Priscilla is the reason I am going to Edmonds,” Fraker said. “She talked to Nico about me, and we got in contact and I committed.”
Lam shared her initial experience on transitioning into college.
“Honestly for me, it was easier to get acclimated since both of my brothers, Phillip and Preston, attended Edmonds College and played soccer there,” Priscilla Lam said. “Since they went through all of those exact experiences firsthand, they were always able to give me a ton of great advice and tips. I already knew a few of the girls before coming so that definitely helped me feel more comfortable right away. For players coming out of state, the biggest adjustments usually involve getting used to a new environment, balancing college academics and athletics, and creating new relationships. I am currently majoring in pre-nursing. Finding a balance is challenging but also an important part of growing and becoming a collegiate student athlete.”
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
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