By Leilani Galles and Avani Lakkireddy
The Class of 2024 has had a great year for athletics, with over half the grade playing a sport. As the end of the school year comes around, seniors are finalizing their college decisions. Multiple have committed to playing college level athletics next year.
First, Tyler McNeive is headed to the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota to play Division 1 Golf. McNeive has played golf in at least a recreational capacity for almost all of his life, but began to really accelerate competitively once coming to high school.
“It’s been a goal of mine for a long time. I’m really excited to represent my school in college,” says McNeive.
Along with golf, McNeive has also played high school soccer, until his senior year, where he gained captaincy. Now, though, McNeive has focused completely on golf, his passion and determination being the main reason for his status as a college athlete.
For McNeive the recruitment process “started with sending a bunch of emails and getting in contact with coaches. They would also watch my stuff on instagram. If they liked my scores they would come out and watch, and then would invite you to come visit.”
Last year, McNeive received 10th place at golf state. Now, McNeive is ranked first on Barstow varsity and hopes to excel at state. He, along with other seniors Owen Snyder, Dylan Markey, and Paranjay Sharma, and junior David Williams, plan to make Barstow’s individual and team state hopes a reality in this year’s cycle.
“It’ll be tough, but I think we have a real shot at state,” explains McNeive. “I think our main goal, though, is just to go out and have fun.”
“Tyler pushes us to work harder, always go out to practice, and try our best,” explains Markey. “He keeps me focused, even though we don’t play together in the same group. I think his best advice has been to just ‘Go out and play your game’ and to ‘Be Calm’ which really helps me with nerves prior to matches.”
Next, Zoey Hrabe ‘24 has been participating in track all four years of highschool. In her junior year, she competed in pole vault for the first time and worked up to winning 2nd at state. This season, she has already won first place in the University of Central Missouri relays in pole vault, and received 2nd place at the University of Kansas track meet.
To continue her academic and athletic journey, Hrabe has chosen to attend Occidental College, a D3 liberal arts school in Los Angeles, California. There, she plans to run for the track team as well as participate in pole vault.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I met the coach, and he was super nice. I could tell he really enjoyed coaching,” says Hrabe.
Hrabe’s recruitment process was different from McNeive’s in that she “reached out to Occidental first.” Only after that did the team show interest in her skills and invited her for a campus visit.
Along with track and field, Hrabe is also an accomplished senior artist, selling her ceramics in this year’s show. She also participates in National Honor Society and National Chinese Honor Society, as well as Mahjong Club.
“Zoey is the most determined and driven person I know. She got into the pole vault unexpectedly and has just delivered so much to the track team. She has consistently broken records and has real passion for the sport,” explain Zoey’s friend Helton Walker ‘24.
Another spring commit, Aidan Lawlor, is planning on playing D3 basketball at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Along with being a captain since his junior year, Lawlor has led the team to District titles four years in a row. The team also had an impressive run in Lawlor’s sophomore year to state quarterfinals.
“During junior year, I sent film out to different schools. I met the Bates coach at an all-academic high school basketball camp, and after visiting the campus, decided it was the best fit for me,” explains Lawlor, about his recruitment process.
As for individual honors, Lawlor has received awards like 1st Team All Conference, Conference Player of the Year, and All District Player of the Year, given to the players who have made the most impact on their team, conference, and district.
“I’m super excited. I always dreamed about playing basketball at the next level. I can’t wait for the friendships and relationships I’ll make at Bates,” says Lawlor.
Another spring commit was David Guldin, who plans to play D3 baseball at the College of Wooster, located in Wooster, Ohio. Like Lawlor, Hrabe, and McNeive, Guldin has participated in baseball for all four years of high school.
Guldin’s initial story with baseball, however, started much earlier on the Band of Brothers, a club baseball team that included many of the seniors on Barstow’s team. Additionally, Guldin’s father, Mr. Scott Guldin (Barstow’s AP English teacher and Junior Dean), is a notorious Cubs fan, as demonstrated by the multiple pieces of paraphernalia in his classroom.
While talking about David, Barstow’s baseball coach, Nathan Moore, made sure to highlight Guldin’s mentality and his growth throughout his four years. Moore described Guldin, as one of the “hardest working on the team,” determination that translated quite literally to the improvement he showed through high school.
“David’s an electric player. He’s the type of guy who can turn things around for us real quick, always playing with a lot of fire and passion,” says Michael Yagan, a senior on the baseball team.
Baseball season is still underway, with the team itching for a run into the playoffs after last year’s loss in the state semifinals. Currently, the team holds a 20-4 record and most recently won their Conference.
Chanelle Anderson plans to play D3 basketball at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. Along with forays into track and volleyball, Anderson has been playing basketball for almost all of her life, displaying determination and fortitude when it comes to the sports.
While Barstow’s girls basketball team has gone through a regrowth period in the last few years, Chanelle has committed her time year after year to making the team great. Now, as the team has grown in numbers, Anderson has become team captain and plans to take this leadership quality to college.
Our final sports commit of the season is basketball player Joshua Thornton who plans to play D3 basketball for Labette Community College, a school out of Parsons, Kansas. Like Anderson, Thornton has been playing basketball for most of his life, and has also ascended to the role of team captain.
Thornton first attended Barstow in the 7th grade, playing basketball on Barstow’s middle school team and other extracurricular club teams as well. As he rose through the ranks of Barstow basketball, Josh has become a two-point specialist, scoring many of his points within the paint.
This year, Thornton has received multiple awards this season including All District and 1st team All Conference, demonstrating his value to Barstow’s team this year. With Lawlor, Thornton has led the Barstow basketball team to become 4x District Champions.
Overall, the Class of 2024 has demonstrated its athletic prowess on the college front, displaying impressive achievements on the field and undeniable passion for their respective sports. We wish these seniors the best of luck in their next chapter, and can’t wait to see where they’ll go! Good luck, Class of 2024!
Photo Credit Todd Race.
