Niceville quintet etches future in signing ceremony

NICEVILLE – It was a ceremony to highlight greatness, a long overdue nod to an Eagles senior class that has filled the Niceville High School trophy case with hardware and gym walls with banners.

On Wednesday, five female Eagle athletes – representing the links, diamond and volleyball court – were flanked by family, friends, current and future coaches and classmates in the school’s cafeteria, which served as the backdrop for the quintet to sign with their respective colleges.

View a slideshow from the signing ceremony here.

The talented class was made up of Florida State University commitment Kayla Bloor, a back-to-back Daily News Golfer of the Year who was a part of Niceville’s first state championship in 2011; Western Kentucky University commitment Kaylan Davis and University of West Alabama commitment Devin Hines, a duo who led the Eagles softball program to the 5A state title in 2011; and Daytona State College commitment Kayla Carr and Lake Sumter Community College commitment Kelsey Roberts, who both led the Eagles volleyball program to three district titles during their tenure.

While no tears were shed, there were no shortage of hugs, smiles and sighs of relief to commemorate a journey that was unique to each athlete.

It’s good to be a Seminole

A year after leading the Eagles to uncharted heights, Bloor put together a season for the ages.

Averaging an under-par 35 in nine-hole rounds and a 77 in 18-hole tournaments, the senior made the hunt for top medalist look easy. Her career year included a school-record, 4-under-par 32 (tying 2003 graduate Sharla Cloutier, who went on to play at Princeton), a 72 in the district round and a top-medalist 74 at the regional stage.

The fruits of her labor culminated with the courtship from Auburn and Florida State, with Bloor choosing FSU.

“I’m happy to be a Seminole,” she said. “The course is great, the people are great and (FSU head coach Amy Bond) is amazing. I love that I get to go to FSU.”

But to Bloor, FSU will serve as phase two on a journey that she hopes will take her all the way to the LPGA tour. But it won’t come without a lot of practice.

“Right now I just have to continue to work hard, go in there strong and make them proud that they recruited me to be on the Seminole team,” she said.

Leaving one family for another

When it came to choosing the right college, Davis and Hines sought a family-like atmosphere like the one provided in Niceville.

And they each found the perfect fit.

For Davis, a slugging third baseman who delivered the game-winning grand slam in last year’s 6A state semifinals, becoming a Lady Topper was a no-brainer.

“They followed me to a tournament and they asked me to come visit,” Davis said of the WKU coaching staff. “As soon as I got up there, I fell in love with the campus. It was gorgeous. And when I met my teammates and my coach, it was like family.”

Hines, a catcher and first baseman for the Eagles, echoed that sentiment about the Tigers, whose assistant coach, Meghan Darhower, is a Niceville graduate.

“When I went up to West Alabama it was such a family atmosphere, just like it is here in Niceville,” she said. “I loved it, plus I had so much support with my coach who also graduated from here.”

For both infielders, the signing was a long time coming.

“Back in 9th grade I didn’t really think I had the chance (to play college ball), but around 10th, 11th grade, colleges started asking me to come up,” Davis said. “ … I just worked my way into D-1.”

Added Hines, “It’s been such a long road since starting softball when I was 5 years old. To have everybody here to support me means a lot.”

But the two still have work left to do at Niceville, which will bid for a fourth straight trip to the state finals.

“Hopefully we’ll get another chance at state,” Davis said. “That would definitely be amazing.”

Crossing paths

If Carr or Roberts have any separation anxiety, they can take comfort in that their colleges will face off to start the 2013 season.

“I’m excited,” said Carr, who this year helped lead the district champion Eagles to the region championship, where they lost in five sets to St. Augustine. “I’ll take that as a challenge.”

Making Carr’s leap more unique is that she’ll be one of the charter players for the Daytona State program, which will play its first NJCAA season in 2013.

“It’ll be a bunch of freshmen hungry to win,” said Carr, an outside hitter who led the Eagles in kills and boasted one of the top kill percentages in the country at almost .700. “I’m just really excited to go off to college.”

For Roberts, a defensive specialist, she wanted the setting to be low-key and serene. She found that at Lake Sumter in Leesburg.

“The campus is very pretty and it’s not a very big school. I don’t like big schools,” she said. “I just like the whole atmosphere.”