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Wimberley's Harwood: Longtime ASU Commit Still Excited About College Opportunity
Wimberley senior Holly Harwood is approaching the one year anniversary of her October 2019 commitment to Angelo State University soccer. Don't think for a minute that she feels any different about her decision.
"I decided to commit then because it gave me plenty of time to prepare and took off a lot of pressure, so I could just play," said Harwood. "I feel like ASU is a good fit for me because of the style they play and the coaching is very excellent."
Harwood may have traded her Hill Country home for a college opportunity in West Texas, but it's still close enough for her family to watch her future athletic achievements.
"Angelo State is not too far from home and it's not too far from Texas Tech, and that's where my sister is at right now, so it made it easier for my parents to watch my games and it's easier for my sister to come down as well," said Harwood. "I'm excited to start being independent, do things more as an adult [and] meet new people outside of Wimberley."
Before the move occurs, Harwood has another year as a Wimberley High School soccer, track and volleyball athlete. She plans to make the most of her final charge in Hays County.
"I plan on just always having a happy personality and to bring up my teammates," said Harwood. "I just want to be someone people can look up to and come to for advice. In order to finish on the right note, I want to give all of my lasts the best effort that I can."
"My goal is to not look back in the future and wonder 'if only I did this better'," she added. "I want to have no regrets and to live out my senior year with happiness and stress free. These past few months, I've been taking things into my own hands by waking up early, getting a two mile run in, working on individual skill work that'll help me when I move on to the next level, and to just reset my mindset coming into senior year."
Her diverse resume indicates that she's skillful in multiple sports. It also translates to her non-athletic activities.
"A thing that most people don't know is that I can actually play the violin and used to do it a lot when I was younger," said Harwood.
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Wimberley's Jones Leans On Multi-Sport Skills To Master Different Ventures
The high school athletic calendar is always broken up into fall, winter and spring sports seasons. That's allowed Hays County residents to cheer on Wimberley multi-sport athlete Brina Jones throughout recent school years.
"I enjoy that I am a leader and an inspiration to younger athletes," said Jones, who's a 2021 prospect. "I love competing, so that is one of my favorite things for all of the sports."
With Wimberley ISD opening for new education cycles every August, fans are known to flock to early volleyball matches involving Jones and her Lady Texan teammates. One incentive for the upcoming campaign is the fact that she earned a UIL 4A all-state honorable mention recognition for her play during the 2019 volleyball season.
"I love being with my teammates," said Jones. "This 2020 season has really good chemistry, as I can already tell, so I am super excited to see what we accomplish."
"I have more confidence in myself than I have ever had," she continued. "I want to push myself to be so much better than last year. My goal is to be a leader that everyone looks up to. Our goal is to win every game, go down with a fight, to enjoy the game and to come together as a family."
After she completes her final high school volleyball season, she'll stay in the gym and remain competitive for basketball season. She's a player to watch because she's coming off a UIL 28-4A second-team all-district honor from the 2019-2020 season.
"I push myself every game to score more points than the last," said Jones.
When she's on a roll, it's hard to stop her progress. During the 2020 track season, she won seven events, was runner-up in two more and added a fourth-place result before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the rest of the season. If you go back to her last complete campaign, her resume also includes a UIL 4A first-team all-state honor from the spring of 2019.
"I love looking forward to jumping or running a new PR," said Jones. "I love pushing myself to meet those goals."
The sports may be different, but the skills that she's developed in the different sports have contributed to her overall athletic success.
"As a hitter, the jumping from playing volleyball helps me be lighter on my feet," said Jones. "Doing sprints in practice and in meets help me for volleyball because I learn to be quicker to the ball."
In July, the University Interscholastic League announced that it would allow its UIL 1A to 4A members to start their fall sports season on time in August, while pushing back UIL 5A and 6A competition to September. Wimberley just made the cut as a UIL 4A school, so Jones is ready to take advantage of the opportunity.
"I was very excited, especially thinking that I wouldn't get to have a season," Jones said of her first reaction to the news. "I think that my whole team and other teams in 4A are very blessed that we get to start on time."
Due to the sudden end to the 2019-2020 school year, she's extremely motivated to top her previous high marks in the upcoming 2020-2021 campaign.
"Because I didn't get to finish what would've been a great track season, it pushes me more to have an amazing volleyball, basketball and track season," said Jones. "I'm honestly way more determined to have a great season for all sports than I have ever been. My goals are to break the school record in long jump and triple jump, work the hardest in every practice and to go to state and Texas Relays for both jumps."
For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX/@VYPESATX) on Twitter.
Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.