Lindsey Wilson

George Rogers Clark senior golfer Chelsea Griffith signed a national letter-of-intent with Lindsey Wilson College Monday afternoon in the school library. Griffith was joined on the front row by parents John and Tammy Griffith. Pictured on back row from left are Lindsey Wilson assistant golf coach Nelson Pouliot and Clark girls golf coach Ann Baldwin. Griffith accepted a golf and academic scholarship offer from the Blue Raiders.

Ryan Wilson was a defensive stalwart for a Boyle County team which won its last 30 games, including two straight state titles. Now, the Rebels senior will take his defensive abilities to Lindsey Wilson. The Blue Raiders went 5-6 in their first season of varsity football, including a 4-2 mark in the Mid-South Conference. Wilson, a 6-foot, 230 pounder, said he liked that everyone seemed to be behind the new program. ‘I think they really have a lot of support for the program.

During his sophomore year, West Jessamine's Derrick Little was just another player among the masses, according to his coach, Graham Heasley. “Derrick's sophomore year, my first year here, you couldn't give me a plug nickel for him,” Heasley said. “I watched him play; he wouldn't try very hard; he didn't seem very good.” But over the next few years, Heasley watched Little transform himself from a bit player to a starting lineman and kicker, and on Monday, the former coach of the West Jessamine Colts watched his player sign to play college football at Lindsey Wilson College.

Lindsey Wilson recruited Devonta Alcorn the earliest and hardest. And that's why the Danville senior has committed to the school in Columbia and will sign with the Raiders on Tuesday, the first day of the national signing period. “I just liked their facilties and everything that they had there when I took my visit,”¿Alcorn said. “I just liked it.” Alcorn was a two-way player for the Admirals, but the 6-3, 210 pounder was recruited to Lindsey Wilson as a linebacker. “They liked how physical I was and how hard I worked,”¿said Alcorn, who noted he played “a little bit of everything” on defense for the Admirals.

HARRODSBURG - Cassidy Martin considers herself a Kentucky girl now, so she's staying in the state to play her college basketball. The 5-8 Mercer County senior guard, who transferred to Mercer last April from Tennessee, signed with Lindsey Wilson¿College on Feb. 12 “I wanted to stay in Kentucky, I wanted to stay in the area. It's a good small-college atmosphere, because I never planned on going to a big school. It was a good for me," Martin said. "(Mercer) Coach (Chris)¿Souder had nothing but great things to say about it because he went to college there, and he just made me feel confident about it.” Martin is the area's leading scorer this season at 25.6 points per game, and is leading the area in free throw shooting at 85 percent (159 of 188)

Since she began pole vaulting as a freshman, Rachel Wesley has wanted to compete in that event in college. Today, she will officially make that dream a reality, as the Boyle County senior will sign with Lindsey Wilson along with teammate Kaile Short. “I loved the athletic facilities, they are just so beautiful,” said Wesley, who committed to the school Wednesday. “And the coach (Edwin Hagans) was wonderful, and I've always had good coaches here.” Wesley said she got in contact with Hagans through Centre College assistant Dan Graber.

It was a tough choice, but wrestling in college turned out to be the best choice for Rhodes Bell. The Danville senior signed with Lindsey Wilson on Monday, and said it was hard to pick wrestling over baseball. “I really like the physical side of it, and I feel I have a lot more growing to do in wrestling,”¿Bell said. “And I had quite a bit of success in the time I wrestled. I feel I can grow a lot more as a wrestler than I could in baseball.” Bell thought he would actually play baseball in college before deciding on wrestling, and said he looked at Shawnee State and Lincoln Memorial University.

John Anderson had considered walking on ]the track and cross country teams at a school like Western Kentucky or Morehead State. Then Lindsey Wilson came calling, and the Boyle County senior knew where he needed to be. Anderson made his second visit to Lindsey Wilson last Thursday, and signed a scholarship with Lindsey Wilson today. "I really liked the coach (Edwin Hagans). He was a great guy. When we talked, we got along. We talked about the same things. We had the same goals we talked about," Anderson said.

In the end, Krystal Jackson ended up where she knew she would. The Danville senior signed to play basketball for Lindsey Wilson Wednesday, wrapping up her high school career on the last day of school. "Ever since the very beginning, I didn't think I'd go here, but part of me always knew I'd end up here," Jackson said. "I know it sounds weird. But Lindsey Wilson came through, and it's a good college. I talked to a lot of people about it, and they thought the same thing. I feel good about it. " Jackson was The Advocate-Messenger's 2003-2004 player of the year in basketball, averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Men's Singles No. 1 - Pablo Castanon (LW) def. Dan Schmidt (C) 6-1, 6-0; No. 2 - Marko Begovic (LW) def. Lon Hays (C) 6-1, 6-1; No. 3 - Edward Khan (LW) def. Hari Vasupuram (LW) 6-0-, 6-3; No. 4 - Leandro Gubler (LW) 6-1, 6-1; No. 5 - Alejandro Vial (LW) def. Dan Marela (C) 6-1, 6-1; No. 6 - Adrian Arroyave (LW) def. 6-2, 6-2; No. 7 - Andy Farmer (LW) def. Bryce Meredith (C) 6-3, 6-0; No. 8 - Daniel Finn (LW) def. Aaron Pawley (C) 6-0, 6-0. Men's Doubles No. 1 - Castanon-Gubler (LW)

Since she began pole vaulting as a freshman, Rachel Wesley has wanted to compete in that event in college. Today, she will officially make that dream a reality, as the Boyle County senior will sign with Lindsey Wilson along with teammate Kaile Short. “I loved the athletic facilities, they are just so beautiful,” said Wesley, who committed to the school Wednesday. “And the coach (Edwin Hagans) was wonderful, and I've always had good coaches here.” Wesley said she got in contact with Hagans through Centre College assistant Dan Graber.

Kaile Short knows this is the time of year where all the winter work pays off. The Boyle County senior sprinter  said she has been getting her times down and is feeling great heading into the homestretch of the track season. “I'm peaking at the right time. That's all due to our coach's training. Coach (Brent) Wagner, he's got this all set up so we peak at the right time,” Short said. “I've just been trying to push myself harder and harder every day and think it's all about state and region, not about what happened in February.” Short had two wins Friday at the Boyle County Invitational, taking the 200-meter dash and anchoring the winning 400-meter relay.  Now she's ready for what she said is one of her favorite meets this Friday, the Central Kentucky Conference Championships at Henry Clay.

HARRODSBURG - Cassidy Martin considers herself a Kentucky girl now, so she's staying in the state to play her college basketball. The 5-8 Mercer County senior guard, who transferred to Mercer last April from Tennessee, signed with Lindsey Wilson¿College on Feb. 12 “I wanted to stay in Kentucky, I wanted to stay in the area. It's a good small-college atmosphere, because I never planned on going to a big school. It was a good for me," Martin said. "(Mercer) Coach (Chris)¿Souder had nothing but great things to say about it because he went to college there, and he just made me feel confident about it.” Martin is the area's leading scorer this season at 25.6 points per game, and is leading the area in free throw shooting at 85 percent (159 of 188)

During his sophomore year, West Jessamine's Derrick Little was just another player among the masses, according to his coach, Graham Heasley. “Derrick's sophomore year, my first year here, you couldn't give me a plug nickel for him,” Heasley said. “I watched him play; he wouldn't try very hard; he didn't seem very good.” But over the next few years, Heasley watched Little transform himself from a bit player to a starting lineman and kicker, and on Monday, the former coach of the West Jessamine Colts watched his player sign to play college football at Lindsey Wilson College.

Boyle County seniors Blake Mason and Keegan Kendrick are making their college choices official today, signing with their schools on the first day of the national signing period. Mason will be signing with Campbellsville University, and Kendrick will sign with Lindsey Wilson College. “I just really liked the campus. The coaches treated me really well and talked to me about how everything could go if I went there,” said Mason, who was recruited as a tight end. “Everyone looked at me as a tight end. A couple of schools might have mentioned being a defensive end, but it was mainly tight end.” Mason earned All-Area honors last season at tight end, catching 22 passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns, and blocking for a run game which averaged 228 yards per game.

They won't be teammates any more, and some of them will be rivals within just a few months. But four Mercer County players got to share one last football experience Wednesday. Jordan Elery, James Johnson, Darion Lewis and Logan Lynn signed letters-of-intent to play college football Wednesday during a ceremony at the school. Elery signed with Lindsey Wilson, Johnson with Cumberlands, Lewis with Campbellsville and Lynn with Centre. And they said sitting at the same table as they affirmed their commitments to colleges that will soon pull them in separate directions made the day even more memorable.

Lindsey Wilson recruited Devonta Alcorn the earliest and hardest. And that's why the Danville senior has committed to the school in Columbia and will sign with the Raiders on Tuesday, the first day of the national signing period. “I just liked their facilties and everything that they had there when I took my visit,”¿Alcorn said. “I just liked it.” Alcorn was a two-way player for the Admirals, but the 6-3, 210 pounder was recruited to Lindsey Wilson as a linebacker. “They liked how physical I was and how hard I worked,”¿said Alcorn, who noted he played “a little bit of everything” on defense for the Admirals.

It was a tough choice, but wrestling in college turned out to be the best choice for Rhodes Bell. The Danville senior signed with Lindsey Wilson on Monday, and said it was hard to pick wrestling over baseball. “I really like the physical side of it, and I feel I have a lot more growing to do in wrestling,”¿Bell said. “And I had quite a bit of success in the time I wrestled. I feel I can grow a lot more as a wrestler than I could in baseball.” Bell thought he would actually play baseball in college before deciding on wrestling, and said he looked at Shawnee State and Lincoln Memorial University.

East Jessamine soccer and track star Danielle Lee still has all of track season ahead of her, but she's made her college decision official by signing with Lindsey Wilson College. She will play soccer and run track. Lee said she was drawn in by the level of play at Lindsey Wilson as well as some of the international flair on the team. “It was the right fit, and I felt really at home,” Lee said. “I've been playing soccer ever since I was 4, so it's where my heart is at.” During her senior year at East Jessamine, Lee was second on the team in scoring with 19 goals.