Van Alstyne quartet headed to the next level

VAN ALSTYNE — Heading into their final weeks of high school, a quartet of Van Alstyne athletes announced where they will be continuing their athletic careers in the fall.

Blake Hyatt will run track for Stephen F. Austin; Dylan Geller signed with Ottawa University for basketball; Blake Skipworth chose Austin College for baseball and Samantha Moore is going to play volleyball for Vernon College.

Hyatt is hoping to close out his career on the podium at the state track meet next month. To get there he will need to qualify at the region meet next weekend.

“I’d be pretty disappointed if I don’t win it,” Hyatt said. “After being second-to-last last year, this year is kind of a redemption year.”

He chose SFA over Sam Houston State and Army among offers from Central Arkansas, Indiana Tech and Dallas Baptist.

“The recruiting class they’re bringing in, we have a chance not just to excel individually but on relays and see success at the conference and national level,” Hyatt said. “The coach was really welcoming and it was close to home.”

Hyatt did not run cross-country this past fall to focus on his training for this spring. While he has run the 1,600 in the past, he is now concentrating on the 800 and 400 in addition to his relay work.

While there was no state track meet in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hyatt qualified as a junior by winning the region title in the 800 in 1:56.02 and as part of the region winning 1,600 relay team with Collin Reynolds, Sam Wyatt and Gavin Montgomery.

The 1,600 relay finished sixth in 4A with a time of 3:23.38 and Hyatt was eighth in the 800 with a time of 1:58.94.

At the start of his junior year, he reached the 4A Region II cross-country meet and missed out qualifying at state by four spots.

During his sophomore year he did compete at the state cross-country meet, finishing 118th in the Class 3A race with a time of 18:02.19.

As a freshman he also qualified for the 3A state cross-country race and finished 134th with a time of 19:00.33.

Skipworth is in the middle of trying to help the Panthers get to the baseball playoffs for the first time since 2019 after missing out on a tie-breaker last spring and finishing 16-10. VA is currently in fourth place with a two-game lead and three games left to earn a postseason berth.

Also a key contributor to Van Alstyne’s recent basketball runs to the third round of the playoffs, his opportunity to play baseball at the next level didn’t materialize until very recently.

Skipworth was planning on attending either North Texas or Grayson as a student when things with Austin College began to heat up.

“They were looking for new players, so let’s go,” said the pitcher and first baseman, who will be a fourth generation ‘Roo. “Baseball only came up very recently. I like baseball just as much as basketball. I didn’t know if I wanted to play sports in college but this is a great opportunity.”

Austin College is 7-23 so far this spring and 2-13 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference action. Last season the ‘Roos were 5-22 overall and 1-19 in SCAC play. AC was off to a 7-2 start when the rest of the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Moore came across Vernon during her recruiting search and the junior college program immediately went to the top of her list.

“Vernon reached out and I knew it was one that stuck out to me,” she said. “I’ve always dreamed of being able to play at the college level. This means a lot.”

In her final season, Moore was a first-team all-district selection in 9-4A as she led the team with 315 kills and 94 blocks and tied for the lead with 55 aces. Van Alstyne finished with a 21-17 record but in a very competitive district headlined by state runner-up Celina and state quarterfinalist Aubrey, the Lady Panthers ended up in fifth in the standings and missed the playoffs.

During her junior season, Moore was a second-team all-district selection and led the Lady Panthers in blocks at 36 and was third in kills with 126 as Van Alstyne’s first foray into Class 4A ended with a 14-10 record and a bi-district loss to state semifinalist Kennedale.

Moore earned second-team all-state honors after being a second-team all-district pick by helping the Lady Panthers to a 37-5 record and a Class 3A runner-up finish. It was the best season in program history as the Lady Panthers made the state tournament for the second time and first since 1997. She totaled 166 kills, 71 blocks, 60 digs and 20 aces

Vernon College went 5-20 this past season and 2-11 in North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference action.

Geller has been on the varsity basketball roster for the past two seasons. As a senior he earned all-defensive team honors in District 9-4A and helped the Panthers go 29-6 and reach the region quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Dallas Oak Cliff Faith Family.

He chose the NAIA program in Kansas over Penn State Beaver and Wayland Baptist.

“I had some other opportunities but after I visited Ottawa that was the one, no doubt about it,” Geller said. “Everything in Ottawa was what I wanted it to be.”

Ottawa University went 21-11 overall this past season and finished 16-8 for fourth place in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference standings before reaching the quarterfinals of the KCAC Tournament.

The program won the 2020 KCAC Tournament to qualify for the NAIA Men’s Basketball Division II National Tournament and reached the Sweet 16, finishing with a school-record 28 wins.

This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: Van Alstyne quartet headed to the next level for college sports