Bastrop athletes focus on the next level of competition after signing with colleges
Bastrop golfer Lindsey Hastings’ 21-stroke improvement from the District 18-5A to the Region III girls tournament was no shock to her.
At region, Hastings, a senior, scored a 79-74 — 11-over par 153 at Margaritaville in Lake Conroe. She finished third among individuals and qualified for the 5A state tournament.
Hastings shot 174 to finish second at the district tournament behind freshman teammate Carly Sherman.
“It was hard to stay super focused during district because our district wasn’t very big,” Hastings said. “So I wasn’t overly worried about advancing.”
More: Bastrop freshman golfer Carly Sherman trying to stay 'cool' in attempt to qualify for state
She knew that the region tournament would be far more competitive.
“Once we made it to regional I realized I had a chance to get somewhere,” she said. “So I started practicing all day, every day. I started taking it a lot more seriously, started playing more courses and just broadening my idea of what practice should be.”
Hastings described the Margaritaville course as fairly simple.
“The greens were kinda slow,” she said. “That was tricky to get used to.”
Hastings shot 90-83 173, tied for 49th place at state.
Hastings was one of five Bastrop seniors who signed letters of intent with colleges at the high school gym on May 4.
She will attend Division I Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Ill. on a 60% golf scholarship.
“I wanted something new but also something familiar,” she said. “It’s a completely different state, but it’s still a small town like Bastrop.”
Hastings, who plans to major in finance and economics, also entertained offers from Lipscomb University in Tennessee, Wagner College in New York and Hardin Simmons in Texas.
“I really enjoyed the school, the coach,” she said about Eastern Illinois. “It was the right environment.”
More: Bastrop running back De'mire Thompson earns all-district honors
Caden Allen, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, signed with Division III Texas Lutheran University in Seguin to play football. Allen, a two-year starter in the Bastrop defensive secondary, said he received a 90% academic and financial aid package. Allen, who had a 3.9 GPA, plans to major in accounting.
TLU, a member of the American Southwest Conference, finished 3-7 last season.
Haylee Diebel, a 5-9 middle blocker in volleyball, signed with Division III Concordia University in Austin. Last season, Diebel was third on Bastrop with 177 kills and second with a .256 hitting percentage. The Bears defeated Anderson in first round of the playoffs to earn the first postseason win in school history.
Diebel will join former Bastrop standout Sarah Ghormley at Concordia. Ghormley was selected to the first team in the American Southwest Conference the past two seasons.
Bastrop cheerleaders Trinity Lindsley and Madeleine Aston signed with Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton and the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, respectively.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bastrop athletes sign with Texas colleges to play next year
