LBCC Football's Byrd, Shelton, Welch Sign D1 National Letters of Intent

After finishing the season with a solid 8-3 record and a bowl win, three Long Beach City College athletes signed their National Letters of Intent (NLI) to compete at the NCAA Division-I level Wednesday morning.

Sophomore wide receiver Cedric Byrd (Los Angeles, CA) signed his NLI to the University of Hawaii, freshman cornerback Malik Welch (Hawthorne, CA) to the University of Tulsa, and freshman defensive back Nehemiah Shelton (Gardena, CA) to San Jose State University.

Byrd was a two-year member of the Viking's football squad playing major roles on both offense and defense in all 11 games this season. He was part of the 2016 Western State Bowl Championship game and helped the Vikings earn a win against El Camino College, which led the Vikings to their second-consecutive Conference Championship in the National-Central Division. Byrd received All-Conference accolades this season including spots on the first team offensive list as a wide receiver, all-purpose back, and first-team defensive honors for his role as a kickoff and punt returner. Byrd's defensive and offensive abilities will be a great addition for the Rainbow Warriors.

Freshman Malik Welch made an immediate impact for the Vikings on defense this season. Welch had one interception and a forced fumble, while registering nine tackles and 95 yards on the season. He was part of a defensive line who allowed only 373.1 yards the whole season. Welch's abilities as a cornerback will help the Hurricane's defensive unit.

Nehemiah Shelton also brought home All-Conference defensive honors for his role as a defensive back for the Vikings. The freshman registered 46 tackles and four interceptions this season. He also had 11 assists and tallied seven breakups. Shelton earned a SCFA defensive player of the week award for his stellar performance on the defensive line. Shelton will bring a defensive spark to the Spartans regime.