Six sensational senior Oakdale High School student athletes have put ink to paper on their future. These Oakdale athletes have shined over the years in their respective sport and on Thursday, Nov. 12 they signed their Letters of Intent.
Hannah Chappell, Caitlin Golding, Scarlett Brock, Haley Fuller along with sisters Maddi and Kindra Hackbarth all committed to their NCAA schools.
Chappell, a three time CIF Masters participant, and a two time State participant in track and field, will be attending University of Alabama this fall. During her celebrated high school career, Chappell finished second in State in 2014 in the discus. Chappell looks to return to the state finals this spring before graduation.
“The coaches there are great, all the athletes that I met were welcoming and the SEC (South East Conference) is an overall great conference for track. It’s a great opportunity,” Chappell said of her soon to be school.
Golding’s high school water polo career came to a close this past weekend, and she will continue to play in the Big West Conference as a UC Davis Aggie. Golding was a part of the girls water polo dynasty during her time at OHS, winning four straight Valley Oak League titles and competing in four CIF Section Championship games, winning three.
“The coaches and team really mesh well, and that was important to me. I wanted to stay close to home, so UC Davis was the right fit for me and my water polo career,” said Golding.
Brock who played both pitcher and outfield for the Lady Mustangs softball team, signed her letter of intent to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she will be playing softball for the Jaguars. Brock still has one more season of Lady Mustang softball to go where in 2013-2014 she was a part of the Section champions.
“The fact that it is a Division I school and the opportunity to continue playing softball was a big factor in me selecting Southern. It’s exciting; I want to be a graduate assistant coach. A lot of the former players are graduate assistant coaches after playing under Coach John Garris, and that’s what I want to do,” Brock said.
A trio of softball sluggers will remain teammates, as Fuller and the Hackbarth twins will be attending Fresno State this fall. Like Brock, the trio were also members of the 2013-2014 section champion squad.
“The coaches, the atmosphere at Fresno was great. They made me feel welcomed and that made it an easy decision for me,” said Fuller on her choice to become a Bulldog over Purdue, which also showed interest.
The Hackbarth girls also had other options outside of Fresno State, including Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
“I realized how far (Notre Dame) was, and my sister and I are really family-oriented so family first has always been important to me and my sister. Everything is perfect for me at Fresno State, too. It is the perfect place for me because I want to major in criminal justice and that’s what I am going to do,” explained Kindra.
Catcher Maddi added “Every time I went to Fresno State the coaches and players made me feel welcomed. It felt more like home to me, and that’s what you look for in college. You want that home away from home.”
