Eight KHS Athletes Make Official Commitments

Last week was the official signing day for athletes across the country and eight Kennedale High School players made their intentions known. {{more:Read more …}}

 

Wednesday actually marked the first day senior high school football players may sign with NCAA Division I programs. While a letter of intent is not required or binding at the sub-Division I levels, Signing Day offers the chance for athletes moving on to college sports to be recognized for their talents by their high schools and their commitment to further their education.

 

Signees and their commitments:

Cara Hunt, Soccer ? Lubbock Christian University

 

STATS: 2015 1st Team All-District, 2016 TASCO 1st Team All-Region Mid-Fielder, Mid-Fielder MVP District 8-4A All-District

Lubbock Christian University is a private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has an enrollment of approximately 2,000 was founded in 1957 by members of the Churches of Christ who came together to establish a Christian university on the South Plains of Texas.

The LCU Chaps play in the Heartland Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. The Lady Chaps soccer team was 8-5-5 finishing in 3rd place in the conference. This past season was LCU’s second consecutive finish at the Heartland Conference Tournament.

Why LCU? “From my first visit I loved the family aspect that the team had and all of the girls were very inclusive. The level of play was high so I knew that I would be pushed to be better all the time. I loved that it’s a Christian school so I would not only grow on the field but off as well. It’s a great school all around and I’m excited to be joining!”

Alondra Olmos, Soccer ? Dallas Baptist University

 

STATS: 2015 ? District Midfielder MVP 2016 – 4A State All-Tournament Team, DFWvarsity Super Team, 1st Team All-District 8-4A.

DBU plays in the Heartland Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. DBU finished 2nd in the Southland Conference with an overall record at 13-6-2. The DBU Patriots went on to claimed a second-straight Heartland Women?s Soccer tournament title this year and placed 4 team members on the NCCAA All-American team.

Dallas Baptist University was originally founded as Decatur Baptist College in 1898 and was the first two-year institution of higher education in Texas. After moving to Dallas in 1965, DBU has maintained its roots to Decatur and its commitment to a Baptist heritage. Dallas Baptist University is located in southwest Dallas overlooking Mountain Creek Lake. Current enrollment is approximately 5,156.

 

Why DBU? “I’m very excited to be joining DBU’s Women Soccer team. I know I am about to be a part of something special and I can’t wait to experience it.”

 

Sara Calzada, Soccer ? Central Baptist Arkansas

STATS: 2016 1st Team All-District. This year Calzada has recorded 5 shutouts successfully defended 39 of 42 shots on goal. Last year she recorded 18 shutouts and 109 saves while playing 28 games in a 26-2 season.

Central Baptist College is a four-year, private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Central College opened in a Baptist church in 1892 with purpose of the institution was to train women for efficiency in home, church, business, and society. It later closed and reopened as Conway Baptist College in 1952 and then became Central Baptist College in 1962.

CBC is an NAIA college playing in the American Midwest Conference.

Baylee Gow, Soccer – East Texas Baptist University

Gow is a starter for the LadyKats (7-0-1) playing in 7 games with 16 shots and 4 goals with 2 game winning goals. Last year she played in 23 games for the state champions LadyKats scoring 15 goals with 27 shots on goal, 4 game winning goals and 13 assists. She has won all-district honors the past two years playing on both of Kennedale?s championship teams in 2015 and 2016.

She joins Claire Hamilton, KHS 2016, who just finished her freshman year for the Tigers. Hamilton played in 17 games and earned All-ASC Honorable Mention honors this year for ETBU.

ETBU record for 2016 was 6-7-4 overall and 4-5-2.ETBU is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), at the Division III level. ETBU competes in the eastern division of the American Southwest Conference (ASC) which includes LeTourneau University (Longview, Texas), Louisiana College (Pineville, La.), Belhaven University (Jackson, Miss.), University of the Ozarks (Clarksville, Ark.), University of Texas-Dallas (Richardson, Texas) and the University of Texas-Tyler (Tyler, Texas).

Tyler Alphin, Football – Southwest Baptist University

Tyler will be playing for the SBU Bearcats. Alphin (6-3) was a 1st Team All District Tight End for the state semi-finalist Kennedale Wildcats.

Southwest Baptist University, founded in 1878, is located in Bolivar, Missouri. The school competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in theMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, NCAA Division II.

 

This past season SBU finished their most successful season in program history with a 10-2 record, breaking numerous SBU and GLVC records along the way and earning a #20 rank in NCAA D-II polls.

Gjemar Daniels, Football – Texas State University

 

This is what TSU said about their new recruit Daniels.

Rated as a three-star recruit by 247sports.com and Scout.com ? ranked as No. 102 DT by Scout.com and No. 90 DT by 247sports.com ? listed as one of the top eight under the radar recruits in Texas … earned Class 4A Second-Team All-State honors, named the 2016 District 5-4A Defensive MVP as a senior after earning Defensive Line MVP as a junior in 2015 ? recorded 56 solo tackles, three sacks and 20 tackles for loss in senior season, 49 solo tackles, eights forced fumbles and nine tackles for loss in junior season ? also did Track and Field shot put … played for coach Richard Barrett ? son of William and Gjekarta Daniels … planning to major in electronic media and mass communications

The Texas State Bobcats football program is an NCAA Division I college football team that represents Texas State University located in San Marcos, Texas. The Bobcats play in the Sun Belt Conference. The university has an enrollment of approximately 38, 000 students and opened in 1903.

Stephone Jackson, Football ? Northeastern State University

Jackson has committed to play for the NSU Riverhawks of Tahlequah, Ok.

Jackson (6-4, 200 lbs) played defensive end for the Wildcats this year. He was a – two-time All-District selection and was an All-State honoree – reached 4A Division I Region II Championship game with Kennedale – recorded 52 tackles, ten tackles for loss, during the 2015 season.

 

NSU plays in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, NCAA D-II. The school has approximately 8,200 students with their main campus located in Tahlequah. The school dates back to 1846, when it was founded as the Cherokee National Female Seminary. It became a state owned college in 1909.

Jordan Washington, Soccer ? McPherson College

Jordan Washington is listed as a middle forward at 5’7″ 156lbs for the Kennedale Wildcat soccer team.

 

McPherson is a NAIA school that plays in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The men?s soccer program finished 15-3-3 and 3rd place in the 12 member conference. The Bulldogs were the #4 seed going into the conference championships but ended playing the finals before losing out in a shootout 4-2.

McPherson College is a four-year liberal arts college in McPherson, Kansas. It was chartered in 1887 by the leaders of the Church of the Brethren. The college provides a career-oriented liberal arts education. It is a private, not-for-profit college.