By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
It was a day of multiple college signings at Hanna on Monday.
Five female athletes signed college scholarship agreements to compete in their chosen sports at the next level. Friends, family members, coaches and Brownsville ISD staff members were on hand to celebrate with the signees.
They included soccer players Priscilla Villarreal and Julissa Urbina (Wiley College in Marshall); volleyball players Pamela Ellis (Coastal Bend College in Beeville) and Bianca Olivares (St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee, Okla.); and golfer Alejandra Rodriguez (McLennan Community College in Waco).
It couldn’t get much better for Villarreal and Urbina, best friends since elementary school, who now continue their soccer careers together at Wiley.
“I’ve always wanted to play soccer in college, but I wasn’t sure I was good enough to go,” said Urbina, a skilled ball-handler who started four years in the midfield for the Lady Golden Eagles. “I’m just really glad to get this opportunity. I don’t think many girls get a chance like this. I worked so hard for it to happen.”
Urbina will study business/economics, while Villarreal, also a four-year starter who played primarily defense and some in the midfield, will pursue a degree in tourism/hospitality administration.
“I’m very excited because this is a dream come true,” Villarreal said. “It’s a new experience and my best friend is going with me. I didn’t really want to go by myself, so this is great. Being on the team at Hanna for four years trained me and gave me some good experiences (for what’s ahead). I’m glad I had them, and I thank God because I wouldn’t be here without Him.”
Ellis, a four-year starter at middle blocker and hitter, and Olivares, a two-year starter at setter, were vital contributors who helped the Lady Eagles reach the playoffs throughout their varsity careers.
“It’s very important to me to have my friends and parents here to see this big event (in my life),” said Ellis, who plans to study education and become a teacher. “It’s something I always wanted to happen, and I’m very blessed. I believe it’s going to be very different playing in college than it was here in high school. I just have to work harder and put myself out there so people can see what I can really do.”
The one going the farthest from home is Olivares as Shawnee is located in Central Oklahoma, just east of Oklahoma City.
“To play volleyball in college is something I’ve always dreamed of, and for it to be happening now is simply amazing to me,” said Olivares, who plans to study exercise science. “I know the game is faster at the college level, so I need to adapt to that. It’s going to be a whole new adventure for me.
“I would just say thank you to my parents and everyone who has helped me achieve my goal by signing to play in college.”
Rodriguez has been the heart of Hanna’s girls golf squad for four years. She barely missed qualifying for the UIL state tournament during regional competition last month in San Antonio.
“Alejandra has been my team captain for four years, so this is a pretty special day for me,” Hanna coach Adrian Garcia said of his standout senior.
Rodriguez plans to study physical therapy or pre-dentistry at McLennan Community College.
“It feels great because I’ve been playing golf since I was 7 — for 11 years now — and I knew this day would come,” Rodriguez said. “I knew I wanted to play golf for the rest of my life, and this is what I’m going to do (thanks to my signing to play in college). The competition is going to be tougher, so it’s a matter of who’s going to practice the most and who wants it more.”