Area athletes recognized on signing day

The first Wednesday of February is a special day in the lives and careers of high school student-athletes. The ones that have caught the eye of college coaches across the country and throughout every sport realize their dreams by signing their National Letter of Intent.

Schools across the 280 corridor recognized those student-athletes in various ceremonies throughout the day Wednesday. Here is a recap of those ceremonies:

Spain Park

Spain Park held its ceremony at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, with athletics director Patrick Kellogg speaking for a brief moment to the attendees and to the 17 student-athletes. Each athlete took to the stage individually, along with his/her high school coach and family for a photo opportunity.

Will Battersby - UAB - Baseball

Dylan Bradley - High Point University - Soccer

Isabel Caddo - University of Alabama - Cross-Country/Track and Field

Madison Cobb - University of West Georgia - Soccer

Rachel Cunningham - San Diego State University - Swimming

Daryn Ellison - University of Chicago - Tennis

Douglas Henze - Harvard University - Football

Mary Katherine Horton - Samford University - Golf

Jamal Johnson - University of Memphis - Basketball

Josiah Johnson - University of the Cumberlands - Football

Jenna Olszewski - Auburn University - Softball

Lindsay Song - Davidson College - Tennis

Jordan Susce - University of Louisville - Golf

Mary Kate Teague - UAH - Softball

Mary Katherine Tedder - University of Texas - Softball

Mykael Walton - University of the Cumberlands - Football

Larry Wooden - Arkansas State University - Football

-- Kyle Parmley

Westminster School at Oak Mountain

Students of all grades gathered in the atrium of the Westminster School at Oak Mountain the morning of Feb. 1 to celebrate two of their classmates who were taking part in National Signing Day: Camryn Neal and Jack Wilson.

Neal, who has competed in cross-country, basketball and soccer for Westminster, chose to pursue soccer at the collegiate level and signed a letter of intent for Mississippi College. As a Mississippi Choctaw, she will compete as an outside-back for its women's soccer team. 

Wilson is a fellow Westminster soccer player and signed a letter of intent with Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Like Neal, Wilson will be playing as an outside-back for Mercer, which will be a transition from his current position as center-midfielder with Westminster. 

"I just hope that others will see their commitment and dedication," said Westminster soccer coach Patrick Fitzgerald. "They certainly have established a blueprint on how to do high school athletics."

-- Lexi Coon

Oak Mountain

Family, friends and coaches streamed into the Oak Mountain High School cafeteria at 2 p.m. Wednesday to witness the signing day ceremony held for seven Eagles soccer players. 

Three girls and four boys signed letters of intent to continue their footballing careers at the collegiate level.

They were:

Kendall Maynard, Birmingham-Southern College: Maynard, a forward, started playing soccer in kindergarten. She said the small class sizes, standout nursing program and campus visit sold her on the Panthers' program. 

Sara Scherer, Rhodes College (Memphis, Tenn.): Scherer, a midfielder with a 4.5 GPA, said she chose Rhodes over Furman and Johns Hopkins. The future teammates and coaches she met on her campus visit, she said, helped seal her decision. 

Lucy Thrasher, University of Alabama at Birmingham: Thrasher, a midfielder, said she began playing soccer eight years ago. She said she chose UAB because its close proximity will allow her to play at the college level while staying connected to the Birmingham soccer community.

Jack Kozlek, Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, N.C.): Head boys soccer coach Dan DeMasters called Kozlek a "diamond in the rough" when introducing him to the campus audience. He said that Kozlek, a defender, will have a high ceiling at the next level. 

Levi Long, Andrew College (Cuthbert, Ga.): DeMasters said that Long, a midfielder, excels in 1-on-1 situations. DeMasters said he is physical, and he called his combination of speed and acceleration a "beautiful thing to see."

Chad Jeter, University of South Carolina Upstate: Jeter, a center-midfielder, was the MVP of the 2016 AHSAA Class 7A state soccer tournament. DeMasters said he is a balanced player who "scores goals left and right." Jeter chose USC Upstate over a number of schools, including the U.S. Military Academy, Auburn-Montgomery and Georgia State. 

Kennedy Davis, Dartmouth College: DeMasters said that Davis, a midfielder, is a "once in a lifetime player" who possesses versatility, moves well off the ball and has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time. Davis has started on the Eagles varsity squad since his freshman year and, according to DeMasters, owns a 4.06 GPA. He chose Dartmouth over a number of other suitors, including the U.S. Naval Academy, Colgate and Memphis. 

-- Sam Chandler

Briarwood Christian School

Seven Briarwood students signed with college teams on Wednesday, including:

- Sam Strickland - baseball, pitcher - Samford University

- Graham Core - baseball, infield and pitcher - Wheaton University

- Cole Steadman - baseball, outfield - Birmingham-Southern College

- Wilson Hand - lacrosse - Brown University

- Sarah Adcock - soccer - Mercer University

- Maggie Adcock - soccer - Wofford University

- Sadler McKeen - swimming - University of Notre Dame

Each student was introduced by their coaches and had the opportunity to thank God, their families, friends, teammates, coaches, physical therapists and more for their help in the journey to National Signing Day. Cole said one lesson he learned from head baseball coach Steve Renfroe was that "there is more to baseball than just what happens on the field."

Two students' coaches were introduced by their parents, who had also been their coaches: Wilson Hand and Sadler McKeen. Wilson Hand's father, Mark Hand, called his son a "trailblazer" in Briarwood's lacrosse program. Twin sisters Sarah and Maggie also made sure to thank each other both for their friendship and pushing each other to improve.

"I wouldn't be up here if it wasn't for you. I'm really going to miss you next year and I can't wait to beat you in conference play," Maggie told her sister.

-- Sydney Cromwell

Chelsea High School

Chelsea High School celebrated nine of its student athletes during a signing day ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 2. On day after official signing day, the athletes signed official paperwork in front of a crowd of their classmates, families and coaches in the high school’s auditorium.

“This is a day of great achievement in the lives of these athletes, and we definitely want to honor them today,” said Chelsea High School Athletic Director Michael Stallings. “Like most athletes, these individuals have set goals for themselves, and no goal was probably greater than the ability to continue their athletic careers as they go to college. We’re very proud of them for that.”

Stallings said he was glad to have the families of the student athletes in attendance, as they were what helped the students achieve this goal.

“I know their coaches and teammates are very proud of them, but no one is probably more proud of them than their families,” he said. “It’s a journey, and their families have been on this journey with them for their entire lives. While their coaches have only had a short amount of time with them, their families have been there the whole time.”

Principal Wayne Trucks said he enjoys signing days, as they help recognize students for their accomplishments.

“It’s neat to celebrate their hard work,” he said. “…I think you can tell from the way the students reacted that these are neat kids.”

The enthusiasm and cheers from the crowd as the athletes signed with their respective colleges helped show how supportive students are of one another’s accomplishments, Trucks said, even those who were not teammates of the signing students.

A list of students who signed on Thursday is below.

Volleyball

Princes Embry – Lawson State

Maurica Marsh – Edward Waters College

Taylor Hackett – Gadsden State

Lexie Riggins – Wallace State

“This senior class … they have a special place in my heart. We actually came to Chelsea High School together; when they were ninth graders was my first year here,” said Chelsea volleyball head coach Jessica Pickett. “Over the last four years, they have set high goals for themselves and they have exceeded my expectations in a lot of areas.”

The four girls on state, Pickett said, have excelled in multiple areas including academics, athletics and life outside of school. All four girls have part time jobs, play on club teams and participate in multiple clubs.

“I’m very proud of you, I love you all,” she said. “This is just the beginning, so continue to work hard for your goals, and thank you for setting the foundation of excellence with our volleyball program. Best of luck with the next part of your journey.”

Soccer

Sabrina Lang – William Cary University

Madeline Guillen – University of North Alabama

Khalari South – Meridian Community College

“These young ladies have worked hard over the course of their career,” said girls soccer head coach Jonathan Hammett. “Sabrina and Madeline have been in the program since their freshman year. Khalari has been a part of our program since our eighth grade year, so a lot of experience.”

The three players worked hard to get to signing day, Hammett said, and their accomplishment was not something that could happen overnight.

“I know their parents are proud of what they’ve accomplished, but as their coach, watching them grow and develop over the years for their career, it’s just as gratifying for me to see them be able to go onto the next level. Not everyone gets the opportunity to play college ball … and it takes a lot of hard work to get to that point.”

Soccer

Eli Alexander – University of Alabama Huntsville

This is the fifth season Alexander was part of Chelsea’s soccer program, said boys soccer head coach Lee Miller.

“When he first showed up as an eighth grader, I think he might have been the smallest kid that ever showed up in our program,” Miller said. “But you could tell right away he was a good player and had great potential.”

Alexander’s awareness of his skill, however, did not make him complacent, Miller said. Rather, Alexander constantly worked to get better and to improve as a player.

“Now he’s one of our strongest guys, and he’s worked his way through the difficulties of being a young player to the point now where he’s a multi-year starter,” Miller said.

Softball

Kathryne Shoop – Southern Union Community College

“She is the type of player you want in your program,” said head coach Heather Lee. “She is a hard worker, she is dedicated. Kind of like some of the other coaches said, she also plays basketball, she plays softball and she plays travel ball. So she has definitely put in the hours, the hard work, the tears, the blood.”

Shoop has not only put in what it takes on the field, Lee said, but also the work it takes in the classroom.

“We’re very, very proud of you, and we can’t wait to see what you do at Southern Union. Good luck,” Lee said.

-- Erica Techo