Quartet of Permian athletes sign NLI

Before Permian senior Akor Maywin took her seat at the signing table, a roar of applause came from a packed library filled with family, friends and teammates. Maywin, who was the last of four Permian athletes to sign their letters of intent to their college programs, inked to compete in track and field at New Mexico Junior College. Prior to Maywin signing, Haley Simmons, Matthew Trotter and Jessica Nguyen made it official to the Sul Ross State women’s soccer team, Chaminade men’s golf team and Wayland Baptist volleyball team, respectively, on Wednesday at the Permian High School Library. “Our team is always ‘Go Mojo’ and it comes with a lot of pride and they were just showing their love,” Maywin said with a smile. “It was a lot of support, because I knew they would be here for me no matter what even though I’m moving on. I’m still going to have that support behind me.” Maywin, who stands 6-foot-2, said she naturally gravitated toward track and field. The Permian senior admitted she lacked dexterity when she was younger, but Maywin believes her coordination has continued to improve throughout high school. “Ever since I was little, I was pretty uncoordinated,” Maywin said. “I was tall and lanky, so track was the easiest thing. I’ve been growing in my other sports, but no matter what, it has always been track that I have leaned on.” Maywin visited with multiple schools, but she felt New Mexico Junior College — which finished runner-up in the 2016 NJCAA Division Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships — shared similar characteristics to the Permian program. In her senior season with the Lady Panthers, Maywin reached the Region I-6A meet as part of the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays. She also reached the regional meet in high jump, but despite those accolades Maywin was never content. A trait that will serve her well with the Lady Thunderbirds. “Ever since I was little, my coaches told me to never be satisfied,” Maywin said. “I always felt like I could do more, go that extra mile, get this next record or set a new personal record and get better.” Nguyen, who is a teammate and best friends with Maywin, knows it’s going to be tough to go their separate ways, but she said the campuses of Wayland Baptist and New Mexico Junior College are less than three hours away. The Permian senior standouts in volleyball, basketball and track and field plan to meet throughout the school year. “We talked it out and we are going to meet up every other weekend or whenever we can to hang out,” Nguyen said. For Nguyen, the opportunity to play college volleyball came at an opportune time. A couple of days before her basketball regular season finale, Nguyen worked out for Wayland Baptist. The Pioneers were the only team she worked out for as Nguyen tore her ACL against Amarillo Tascosa on Feb. 7 and that effectively ended her high school sports career. Nguyen had initially planned a tryout with UTPB on Feb. 8. She also received interest to work out for Tarleton State and Angelo State, but she was unable to attempt those three workouts due to injury. Wayland Baptist is an NAIA program that finished its 2016 campaign with a 24-16 record. The Pioneers posted a 15-3 mark in the Sooner Athletic Conference and earned a bid to the national championships. “It was a good thing that I got to try out there before I got hurt, because then I wouldn’t have this opportunity to play there,” Nguyen said. “It’s a good thing that (Wayland Baptist head coach Jim Giacomazzi) still wanted me despite the circumstances.” The only Permian athlete to sign out of the state of Texas is making the trip to the Aloha State. Trotter, who was a four-year starter for the Panthers golf team, signed to Chaminade University of Honolulu — a Division II school — that is notably known for the Maui Invitational, a tournament that features some of the top Division I basketball programs in the country — including University of North Carolina, the 2016 tournament winner and 2017 NCAA Division I National Champions. “I’m not really sure what to expect, but I know it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, so it’s definitely something to look forward to,” Trotter said. Trotter hasn’t visited the campus or Hawaii, but the Silverswords head coach Renee Yuen believes the Permian senior can make an immediate impact. Trotter is eager to prove Yuen correct. He also received interest from McMurry University. “(Yuen) said it would be more of a rebuilding state, but she still has a lot good players,” Trotter said. “She said by how I play I should have a good chance of being on the top team my freshman year. “It’s definitely exciting to be able to show up freshman year and be on a team that competes.” In the case of Simmons, she had originally planned on going to school at UTPB, but a visit to Sul Ross State’s campus changed her mind. Simmons became the third player in the last two years that Permian has sent to play for the Lady Lobos. Lynden Sterling

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

QUARTET OF PERMIAN ATHLETES SIGN NLI

ROYAL MCGREGOR

Odessa American | 5/17/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Sterkel