Homewood-Flossmoor senior sprinter Mariyah Robinson saw some palm trees as she decided where she’d take her track talents next. 

The defending 100- and 200-meter dash and 400-meter relay state champion toured multiple warm-weather campuses over the course of her college recruitment. She visited Arizona State, Mississippi State and Arkansas, almost committing to the Razorbacks. Ultimately, though, it was the sunshine state that won her over.

She made her commitment to University of Florida official at H-F’s signing day event Nov. 12 in the school’s auditorium.

“I’m happy that I got to see all the schools visually,” Robinson said. “All of them are really different. It was good to see.” 

She said the Gators coaches and staff are the type of people she wants to be around for the next four years. She’ll run the 100- and 200-meter dashes at first, eventually running the 400, as well. 

“It was the connection I made there. It was like another home and that’s the one thing that I was looking for the most,” Robinson said. “Anything that feels like home, you would never turn away from.” 

Robinson plans to study pre-med, following a family tradition of medical professionals. 

Long-committed volleyball pair signs to Wisconsin, Clemson

The Vikings volleyball program lost significant length and athleticism to graduation. Seniors Kymora Scott and Ihuoma Ozoh made their commitments to University of Wisconsin and Clemson University, respectively, official with their signatures Wednesday. Each made their choice public over two years ago.

“It’s definitely a good day for me because it’s just a long time coming,” Scott said. “To stick with Wisconsin, to have some stability and trust in the program to know that this was where I want to be for all four years of school, signing feels like it’s finalized. It’s good.” 

Ozoh said the Tigers’ commitment to her after a serious knee injury only solidified her choice. Clemson even suggested doctors for her surgery.

“They kept updating me. They were texting. They never lost communication and that was really helpful during that situation,” Ozoh said. “With how much love I’ve been shown, especially after this injury, it was like, ‘What other school is going to show me this much compassion?’” 

Scott plans to study sports communication in the hopes of someday working as a volleyball commentator. She’ll graduate from H-F in December and head to Madison in January. 

“I think being at Wisconsin volleyball will be good to create opportunities for me,” she said. “I want to stay on the big screen.” 

Baseball inks three to the next level

A trio of H-F baseball players made their picks official, Wednesday, too.

Henry Humes, a pitcher, was once committed to the Naval Academy but signed with Northwestern. He said the academic reputation of the Big Ten school was too much to pass up.

“It was just a great blend of academics and a baseball program that was turning around with coach (Ben) Greenspan. That’s something I want to be a part of,” Humes said. “The degree is like no other. Evanston is a beautiful town, with a beautiful campus. You really can’t beat it.” 

Humes visited Bradley and Valparaiso.

“I like the midwest weather, to a point,” he said. “Staying close was definitely something I wanted to do.” 

Antonio Brown Jr. will play at Purdue University Northwest under coach Dave Griffin, who Brown’s been taking lessons from since he was about 10 years old.

“He’s kind of watched me grow up and throw faster each year,” Brown said. “I liked somewhere to be comfortable.” 

The proximity of the campus was also a big deal for Brown. PNW is in Hammond, Indiana, only about 25 minutes from H-F High School. 

“I’m a big family person, as an only child, so being able to see family every weekend if I choose to was important,” he said. 

Jhames Holley III is headed to Joliet Junior College, a program that has a history of moving players onto bigger schools.

“I wanted to go somewhere that likes to win. It’s not fun going to somewhere that doesn’t win,” he said. “I want to develop but I still want to win games.”

He’ll study psychology and business. He has big plans for the future.

“I want to start a men’s mental health clinic for young men in the area because I’ve had mental health struggles in my own life,” Holley said. “I know I’m not alone in this struggle, feeling alone or a little lost sometimes. I feel like some men need guidance and grow up without that guidance in the home.” 

Karner headed to MSOE for softball

Kathleen Karner was looking for a school that would allow her to pursue both softball and her other passion: biomedical engineering. She had surgery on her leg after a sophomore-year injury and wished there was a better way to recover.

She plans to study to try to make that possible at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. 

“For a long time, I’ve known that’s what I wanted to do,” Karner said. “I just really want to help people who also have been hurt.”

MSOE isn’t too far for friends and family to see games. The city campus was also appealing, she said. It’s not far from bigger schools like Marquette and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

“I was also looking for a small school and MSOE is only 3,000 students, but being in the city it just feels a lot bigger,” Karner said. “I know people (at Marquette and Wisconsin-Milwaukee) so it made it feel bigger than it actually is. That’s what I wanted even though my class sizes will be small.”