It was a big day on two Osceola County high school campuses Wednesday as six athletes signed scholarship offers.
Three each from Osceola and Harmony gathered among friends and family.
Kowboys wrestler Cooper Haase (United States Military Academy at West Point) and volleyball players Eimy Negron (University of West Florida) and Kaitlyn Taylor (Bucknell University) inked their scholarships.
At Harmony it was softball player Kaitlyn Luna-Rodrgiuez (Daytona State College) and baseball players Caden Scarborough (Hillsborough Community College) and Trace Loeding (National Park College)
“In high school sports, the actual games and competition are always exciting, but this is my favorite part of the job,” Athletics Director Rick Tribit said. “To see your athletes reap the rewards of all the hard work they put in both academically and athletically and get a chance to compete at the next level will always be the most rewarding part of an athletic director or coach’s job. These three are exceptional athletes and exceptional students and we could not be prouder of them.”
Beginning his senior season, Haase is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Osceola school history. Haase capped off a sensational 2021-22 season with a dominating performance at states, where he pinned three opponents, including Riverview’s Nikolas Hernandez in the Class 3A, 138-pound finals to finish his junior year with a stellar 58-3 record.
His accomplishments last year included district, regional and Orange Belt Conference titles. He also had a second place finish in the prestigious 2021 Knockout Classic and won the Border Wars IX Tournament. Haase said he selected West Point from numerous offers because the academic and discipline side of academy life appealed to him.
“An opportunity to get a first rate education and to serve my country was really appealing to me,” Haase said. “The fact that every aspect of academy life is so structured was also a plus for me. They tell you what classes to take, they tell you when to eat, they tell you when to sleep, and they tell you when to practice. I can get down with that.”
For now, Haase says he is concentrating on his senior season and becoming just the second wrestler in school history to win four consecutive state titles.
“We’ve had some great wrestlers come through here and to join Fox (Baldwin) as just the second to win four state titles is a definite goal I look forward to achieving. We wrestle in some outstanding tournaments with champions from other states, so going undefeated this year is also a goal for me.”
Both Negron and Taylor played a key role in the Lady Kowboys 26-5 season and that included district and regional championships and the school’s first appearance in the State Final Four.
Negron, a defensive specialist, led the team in digs (434) and was third in assists (43). Taylor, an outside hitter, was second in kills (368), 3rd in aces (32), 3rd in blocks (27) and 3rd in digs (287).
Negron says she chose West Florida for its winning volleyball tradition. West Florida clinched its fifth consecutive Gulf Coast Conference championship earlier this week and has gone 143-31 during that time.
“They have such a great winning tradition up there,” Negron – who plans on majoring in special education – said about the Pensacola school. “When I visited up there, it just felt like home to me. I fell in love with the school, the facilities, the coaches and the players.”
Taylor says she plans on majoring in Biology and that Bucknell’s interest in her played a key role in her decision.
“Quite a few schools were talking to me, but Bucknell really acted like they wanted me there. My goal was always to play Division I volleyball and this felt like the best fit for me.”
“It’s a special day for these players and that makes it a special day for me,” Kowboys coach Carrie Palmi said. “When a player has an opportunity to compete at the next level, we want to do everything possible to help them get there. Kaitlyn and Eimy were both vitally important to the success we had this year and I am so excited that both will get a chance to continue their careers at the next level.”
