Late spring signing day for seven Northwestern Trojans

Seated beneath the hulking Trojan painted on the gym wall at Northwestern, seven student-athletes signed letters Tuesday morning confirming they’ll continue their athletic careers at the college level. While they’ll probably never reach the school mascot’s unattainable level of musculature, all seven were thrilled to have a seat at the signing day table, even at 7:45 a.m., on a rainy Tuesday.

Some more information about each:

Derian Cunningham will run track and field at Converse College. She’d already settled on a school when Converse - the all-female school near Spartanburg - contacted her two weeks ago. After a whirlwind 14 days, Cunningham signed with Converse Tuesday.

“I wasn’t planning on running in college, but I liked the school and they made me feel comfortable,” she said. “I’m very excited, glad it worked out.”

Cunningham plans to major in biology and wants to become a physical therapist. She competed in the 400-meter dash, 4x400 relay and the triple jump and expects to continue those events in college.

Taylor Kirkland shared many similarities with her teammate, Cunningham. Kirkland also wasn’t banking on college track and field and had contingency plans lined up. She signed with Wingate, though, several factors contributing to the decision.

“The campus, the track, I just loved everything,” said Kirkland. “The coach, just how nice people are...”

Kirkland will major in nursing and is receiving academic and athletic scholarship money. Like Cunningham, she’s also a versatile track and field contributor, competing in the 800 and 400 meters, 4x400 relay, and maybe some jumping events.

Ana Trabold watched her former teammate Julia Panas sign to play volleyball at Spartanburg Methodist last year, sparking a reconsideration of her own college prospects.

“I was really motivated to try and play at the next level,” Trabold said. “I guess I never thought I would be able to.”

Trabold surprised even herself by signing to play volleyball at USC Lancaster. She is waiting to see how the two years with the Lancers go before deciding what to do afterward. Trabold plans to major in nursing and she could either stay at USC Lancaster for the duration of its four-year nursing program, or transfer to a traditional four-year school.

Demontre Buckson wants to work on Wall Street one day, and he’ll use a partial scholarship to play football at Howard University as the vehicle.

“I’m very excited,” Buckson said.

A standout offensive lineman for the Trojans, Buckson had other opportunities with Union College (Ky.) and Averett University (Va.). He began hearing from Howard in March; the Bison coaching staff plans to play Buckson at center.

“It kind of was a surprise, but it’s what I’ve been working for,” he said.

Miles Corpening said Tennessee Tech felt “homey.” The school, based about 45 minutes outside of Nashville, made Corpening, a 2015 Shrine Bowl pick, feel like its most important football recruit.

“They always came to me with a lot of positivity,” he said.

Corpening felt some stress about waiting until after Feb. 3, National Signing Day, to commit his future. He had a full ride from Army, but didn’t feel committed to the military life. Corpening didn’t want to settle just so he could sign on the big day, and his visit to Tennessee Tech, an FCS school that plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, later confirmed his instincts. Tech coaches think Corpening can contribute as a true freshman.

“I didn’t mess up by not signing,” he said. “I did the right thing by waiting and I got a great vibe from the coaches, the business lady, the teammates, everything.”

Payton Tate will join the cheerleading squad at College of Charleston. She’s cheered competitively for nine years and envisioned a day like Tuesday.

“I loved the school and the atmosphere,” said Tate.

Competing at Charlotte All-Star cheerleading, Tate watched older teammates go through the college cheerleading scouting process. Tate excelled at an invitational tryout, and said she plans on studying early childhood education.

“I feel accomplished,” she said, laughing.

Cameron Smith will play college baseball in the handsome setting at USC Beaufort. Smith, a longtime contributor to the Northwestern program, considered Francis Marion, Winthrop and several other schools, but opted for Beaufort in part because of its surroundings.

“I just wanted to get out of town, start fresh, and Beaufort, it’s right on the beach,” Smith said. “It’s a very pretty campus, it’s fairly new and they’re very successful.”

USC Beaufort is an NAIA school that finished this season 43-12. Smith plans to major in business management. He felt comfortable picking the school because of discussions with his parents about whether he could see himself staying at a school even if he was injured and unable to continue playing baseball.

“I definitely do,” was his answer.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Late spring signing day for seven Northwestern Trojans."