BROOKLAND — Four Brookland High School senior athletes in three sports made their college plans official Tuesday during a ceremony in Bearcat Arena.
Volleyball players Keeley Beary and Destiny Calderon are going to Lyon College and Florida College, respectively. Stella Parker signed with Lyon College to play basketball, while Gabe Guimond is headed for Harding University as a member of the soccer team.
Brookland won the Class 4A state volleyball championship in the fall with Beary and Calderon playing key roles. Beary, one of three Lady Bearcats to earn all-state tournament honors, is excited about the next step in her career.
“It’s definitely an amazing feeling knowing that it is final, that I am going to do it and to know the next step that I am taking,” Beary said.
Beary was third on the team in kills with 200 and led the Lady Bearcats with 74 blocks. Lyon College is where her father graduated and Beary said she’s excited to take on the legacy.
“I definitely love their academics and how small they are, how they can focus on you individually and they can help you,” Beary said. “You’re not just out there on your own, doing things by yourself. You’ve got someone there to support you and help you along the way.”
Calderon is eager to start her journey at Florida Christian, a private Christian college in Temple Terrace, Fla., and to continue playing volleyball in college.
“I’m super excited because it’s not something that I really thought that I’d be able to do, so to get the opportunity, it’s just great,” Calderon said.
Calderon finished with 160 kills, 41 service aces and 32 blocks last fall. She gave credit to her coaches and her teammates for helping push her.
“Obviously I couldn’t have asked for a better season,” Calderon said. “This was the best season I’ve ever had.”
Parker earned all-state honors as Brookland reached the Class 4A girls’ state tournament quarterfinals. She averaged 15 points per game to lead the Lady Bearcats while shooting 45 percent from the field, including 35 percent from 3-point range, and 90 percent from the free throw line.
“This has just been an amazing year for my last year here,” Parker said. “We’ve accomplished everything that we wanted to and I definitely got a lot better over the year. The fact that we kind of brought the program back up to what it needs to be is amazing.”
Parker joins a team that finished this season with a 12-14 overall record and a 10-10 mark in the American Midwest Conference. She expects to earn playing time as a freshman with the Scots.
“It’s just incredible,” Parker said after signing her letter of intent. “I’ve dreamed of this for years and the fact that it’s finally happening is amazing.”
Guimond earned all-state and all-state tournament honors last spring as he produced 22 goals and 10 assists. He expects to play a similar midfield role at Harding.
“Most of the other guys who have signed (with Harding), I’ve played with them many times before. We’re good friends and everything,” Guimond said. “I’m really excited. I feel really blessed to be able to play at the collegiate level.”
Guimond helped the Bearcats reach the Class 4A quarterfinals last year. He’s already scored 11 goals this season.
“It feels great to see the program develop and grow,” Guimond said. “In earlier years, it was still kind of a young program, but it feels good to see it grow and we’re performing well. We’ll see how the rest of the season goes.”
