By GARY STALLARD
AC Athletics
For the 18 Angelina College athletes sitting with pen in hand inside Shands Gymnasium, Tuesday was more than a commemoration of accomplishments.
The event solidified the very reasons those athletes first signed with their respective Roadrunner and Lady Roadrunner programs in the first place.
AC’s Athletics staff held a mass “Signing Day” ceremony for those athletes who have already signed to play at the next level – from Division I to NAIA programs. By no means were those present Tuesday the only recipients, as numerous others are still finalizing offers or still out on the recruiting trails.
J.J. Montgomery, head men’s basketball coach and athletic director, said Tuesday ??
“It’s really all about the coaching,” Montgomery said. “What our student-athletes showed here today is the direction our coaches take their players and their commitment to creating future opportunities for all their student-athletes.
“To see this many kids moving on is bittersweet, but it’s why they come here, and the coaches do a fantastic job pushing and preparing these kids for what comes next. Having a day like today is a big reason to celebrate. We’re going to be rooting for them after they leave here.”
Teammates (including underclassmen) were there to cheer on the signees, a factor Montgomery said will serve as motivation for those players to push for the same result.
“Just seeing their teammates experience success speaks for itself,” Montgomery said. “I mean, if that doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what would. Those signed players have set an example, and they’ve shown the others that success really is possible.
“They’ve seen the blueprint, and now they know what it takes.”
Those AC athletes who signed on Tuesday (along with their chosen programs) were as follows:
Men’s Soccer: Omar Mora, (Oral Roberts University, NCAA Division I); Kaito Ueki (Coastal Carolina, NCAA Division I); Bryan Aguirre, (Purdue Fort Wayne, NCAA Division I); Rochaine Baker (Incarnate Word, NCAA Division I); Lennart Poth (Pacific University, NCAA Division I); Shota Tokuhisa (Lubbock Christian, NCAA Division II); Luan Rangel (University of Texas-Tyler, NCAA Division II); and Octavio Jacquez (Letourneau University, NCAA Division III).
Women’s Soccer: Antonia Henao (University of New Haven, CT, NCAA Division III); Camilla Bedin (Oakland City University, IN, NAIA); and Halee Hernández (Louisiana Christian University, LA, NAIA).
Men’s Basketball: Xavier Owens and Nehikhare Igiehon (Henderson State University, AR, NCAA Division II).
Women’s Basketball: Marie Kenembeni (Old Dominion University, VA, NCAA Division I); and Amyria Walker (University of South Alabama, AL, NCAA Division I).
Baseball: Dalton Mullins and Spencer Alexander (Stephen F. Austin State University, TX, NCAA Division I.
Softball: Skyler Martin (Texas A&M University-Texarkana, NCAA Division III).
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.