Eight members of the Rockbridge County High School Class of 2023 committed to compete at the collegiate level at the school’s Spring Signing Day on Wednesday, May 10.
Brice Hall (Penn College wrestling), Braeden Hartbarger ( F e r r u m football), River Hull (Guilford la c r o s s e) , Colby Jarvis (Bridgewater lacrosse), Nicholas Oyler (Sout he r n Virginia football), Lexie Polly (Lynchburg lacrosse), Evan Roney (Rhodes cross country/track) and Heidi Schwarzmann (Saint Leo cheer) all plan to continue their athletic careers after graduating from RC this spring.
At the signing day, held at the RC Pavilion, all eight Wildcats signed letters of intent to play for their chosen schools.
Hall will remain a Wildcat as he attends Penn College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa., where he plans to study aviation maintenance technology. A three-time Valley District and two-time Region 3C champion, Hall totaled 114 career wins for RC. As a senior this winter, he finished 44-2 with an astonishing 38 pins and placed third at the Class 3 state wrestling tournament, following fourth-place finishes in heavier weight classes sophomore and junior years.
“I was led to Penn College of Technology for its aviation program and its commitment to hands-on learning,” Hall said. “I look forward to continuing to wrestle, the sport I love.”
As a freshman, Hall helped the Wildcats win their first regional title in program history. The Wildcats placed seventh in the state his freshman and sophomore years, 28th in the state during his junior year, a rebuilding year for RC, before winning the Valley District title this year and placing 12th in the state.
Hall was coached by Aaron Bruce for three years before Bruce retired and Mike Wood took over as head coach for Hall’s senior year.
Two members of the RC boys lacrosse squad will extend their careers in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, as Hull heads to Guilford College and Jarvis will attend Bridgewater College.
Hull will be quite familiar with the Quakers’ program. The senior’s father, RC head coach Robert Hull, is a member of the Washington and Lee Athletics Hall of Fame after excelling in football and lacrosse for one of Guilford’s ODAC rivals.
River Hull has started on attack for the Wildcats this spring, providing leadership – and a solid scoring punch – for an offensive group that features several underclassmen. He’s excited about the challenge of moving up to the next level.
“That’s something that I’ve been really looking forward to a lot with college lacrosse, being up there with everybody else skill-wise,” Hull said.
At the other end of the lacrosse field, Jarvis has anchored a sturdy RC defense this spring. Bridgewater was the first school that he visited, and he found an immediate connection with the campus and the lacrosse staff. Head coach Mic Grant, who started the Eagles’ program in 2011, was a VMI assistant from 1997-2006.
“I really like the atmosphere that they have there,” said Jarvis, who will pursue a degree in business. He added that he’s looking forward to “being close to home and being able to build upon myself, upon my skills; being able to learn from other people and get their expertise.”
The RC girls lacrosse team will also send one of its key players to the ODAC next year, as defender Lexie Polly will take the field for the University of Lynchburg.
A two-year starter, Polly has helped the Wildcats win the Region 4D title for three years in a row, reaching the Class 4 state semifinals three years in a row, under the direction of head coach Susan Nye. Her desire to stay close to home led her to choose Lynchburg, where she plans to study nursing and occupational therapy.
“I didn’t want to go too far,” Polly said. “I felt really at home at Lynchburg. As soon as I went there, I knew that’s where I wanted to be.”
Roney will have a much longer trek to school, as he heads off to Memphis to join the Rhodes College cross country and track and field program. A four-time state qualifier and three-time state medalist for RC, coached by Julie Tisone in cross country and Jennifer Showalter in track and field, Roney plans to jump on the premed track while competing for the Lynx.
Before playing soccer this spring, Roney placed second in the 1000-meter run in the Class 3 state indoor track and field meet in late February. His time of 2:35.99 qualified him for the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships, though the field for that event is full and he won’t actually be able to take part.
Roney was searching for a small school in a larger metropolitan setting, and Rhodes fit the bill.
“I wanted to go to a city like Memphis, kind of get out of the rural Virginia area,” he said. “My visit there, it was really good. The coaches and all of the other runners – my soon-to-be teammates – they were all really nice. … I just really enjoyed my experience on my campus tour, and that’s what led me to choose to go to Rhodes.”
Location was also important to Schwarzmann, who was seeking a warmer climate to continue her cheerleading career. That led her to look at schools in Florida and South Carolina; she ultimately settled on Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla., just northeast of Tampa.
Schwarzmann, who intends to major in marketing and minor in sports management, is the lone Wildcat from the May 10 event who won’t be attending a Division III school. Saint Leo competes in Division II athletics as part of the Sunshine State Conference.
“I thought it was a really great location, and their cheer program was awesome,” Schwarzmann said. “There’s a lot of girls on the [cheerleading] team, and when I met them at tryouts, they were all super supportive. I’m just excited to have a new family.”
While at RC, Schwarzmann was coached by Shannon Bryan, Tasha Polly and Sarah Parnell.
Two Wildcats will extend their playing days on the gridiron. Oyler is set to attend Southern Virginia, and Hartbarger will head just a little farther down the road to compete for Ferrum.
Both players were members of the team that competed in the spring 2021 season, delayed from the fall of 2020 and condensed due to COVID-19, when the Wildcats went 6-1 and won the Valley District title, completing their first undefeated regular season in program history.
A three-year starter on the RC offensive line, Hartbarger will study agricultural science while playing for the Panthers. Even though he hasn’t begun college, the campus and the Ferrum football team have already made Hartbarger feel like part of the program. They were coached by Mark Poston until their senior year, when Martin Cox took the head coaching job and led the rebuilding Wildcats to a 4-6 record.
On his decision to attend Ferrum, Hartbarger said, “That’s just really a place that felt like home to me. It’s a group of guys that I could see myself playing with for the next four years.”
Oyler was a two-time All-Valley District selection at linebacker for the Wildcats. His decision to play for the Knights was influenced by RC assistant coach Ben Kabzinski, a former SVU offensive lineman.
Oyler is thrilled about the chance to play college football so close to home.
“I love it. I don’t have to go very far,” he said. “It’s right in my backyard, so I can stay at home and play the game that I love.”
