Timir Hickman-Collins, four other Indian Land athletes commit to Division I programs
Timir Hickman-Collins officially signed his national letter of intent to Florida State at Indian Land’s fall signing day Wednesday afternoon.
Hickman-Collins is coming off a season in which he recorded 155 tackles, seven sacks and an interception en route to being named to the Shrine Bowl.
The two-year starter at linebacker plans to enroll in January and major in Business Finance and Real Estate.
“It’s been my dream school ever since I was little,” the 6-foot-1 senior said. “Ever since they gave me a scholarship, I knew I was going to commit here and sign. It’s really a dream come true.”
Hickman-Collins was one of five Indian Land athletes to sign their national letters of intent Wednesday.
Three of the other four commits were from Indian Land’s girls’ soccer team.
Zoie Kempf, a 5-foot-5 forward for the Warriors, committed to Arkansas State, while Jasmine Nixon, a forward-turned-defensive midfielder, committed to the University of Kentucky. Ashlyn Yasurek, a 5-foot-8 forward, committed to Coastal Carolina.
It’s a testament of the culture that at least three players from the same class all commit to Division I programs, but the coaching staff largely credits the players as the reason the team found itself in the 4A state semifinals back in May.
“They leveled us up to a whole new standard of play,” assistant coach Kellie Stinchcomb said. “We can run many different formations, we can challenge players to different things, and being able to do that as a coach is excellent. It sets the standards high for the next class in line and lets them have a goal to strive to.”
The girls still have one more season of high school soccer before they move on to college soccer, and Stinchcomb believes that the team is going to head into the year with some extra motivation following the way last season ended.
“I feel like the girls ended last year with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder,” Stinchcomb said. “They asked to play some tough teams this year going into our schedule, and they want to win the whole thing. I don’t want to speak for them, but they have high goals, and we’re just here to help them reach those goals. That’s our only job.”
Katie Buehler, a member of Indian Land’s swim team, committed to the University of South Carolina.
Buehler said the process was a bit stressful with so many offers from so many schools, but the coaching staff at South Carolina was the main reason she chose to commit there.
“Coach Jeff Poppell, he came from the University of Florida, the University of Arkansas, and he has the swimming experience,” Buehler said. “He’s like royalty of swimming. I first talked to (assistant coach and Women’s Recruiting Coordinator) Kelly (Fertel), and she was just like talking to a best friend. It’s really nice the pool is amazing. I got to visit the campus. Everyone on the team is amazing, so I just felt like I fit in perfectly.”
Buehler primarily competes in the backstroke, finishing second in the 100-yard backstroke and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle competitions at the state meet this year and competing in backstroke events for club swimming.