The 2019 class of the GPS Athletic Hall of Fame includes, from left, Heather Parman Miller, Christine Anderson Cooper, retired coach John Woods, Josie Rix and Jasmine Brown.Girls Preparatory School on Wednesday held a “spring signing day” assembly and reception to honor seven seniors who are set to join college athletic programs. That gives the school 10 for the year, nearly 12% of its 12th-grade enrollment.
The seven spring signees/commitments were rowing team members Lizzy Walley and Rebecca Guhde to Jacksonville University and Marietta (Ohio) College, soccer players Lane Lawrence and Megan Pfaffle to Rose-Hulman and Huntingdon, swimmer Jillian Cantrell to Washington & Lee, volleyball player Kendall Crum to Allegheny and lacrosse player Caitlin O’Brien to Detroit Mercy, which is in the Southern Conference for that sport.
GPS crew coach David Hall praised Walley’s transition from rower to coxswain as a sophomore and the leadership she has displayed in that role, and Jacksonville associate head coach Maggie Dwyer echoed that in a GPS release.
“She is a very talented coxswain who I have no doubt will make an immediate impact when she arrives here at JU,” Dwyer said. “Lizzy has a great personality and immediately clicked with everyone on our team when she came to visit campus.”
Hall also lauded the leadership of co-captain Guhde and said she has been in the top varsity boat since her sophomore year because of “her drive to win,” and he added that “she’s found a new excitement with her training that will be a great asset as she heads off to Marietta.”