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Seven Rockbridge County High School seniors committed to join college athletic programs at the school’s Spring Signing Day ceremony held on Thursday, April 25.
McKenzie Burch (Lynchburg equestrian), Maddie Dahl (Berry College lacrosse and volleyball), Hallie Darmante (Randolph College STUNT), Halina Homiak (Muhlenberg College lacrosse), Henry Lambert (Southern Virginia University basketball), Zachary Majors (New River Community College baseball) and Nala Shearer (Gettysburg College volleyball) all plan to extend their athletic careers after graduating from RC later this month.
At the signing day, held at the RC Pavilion, all seven Wildcats signed letters of intent to compete for their chosen schools.
Burch will compete for the IHSA equestrian team at the University of Lynchburg. Also a well-decorated setter for the RC volleyball team, which reached the Class 3 state quarterfinals in the fall, Burch has been riding horses competitively for a decade. She’ll join a Lynchburg program that just won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title.
Dahl has excelled in both volleyball and lacrosse for the Wildcats. A two-time all-region selection in lacrosse, she has logged over 200 draw controls and well over 100 career points for an RC team that has reached three straight Class 4 state semifinals. She was also the Region 3C player of the year in volleyball last fall, starring as a six-rotation outside hitter for the state quarterfinalists.
Dahl will be a two-sport athlete at Berry College in Rome, Ga. While the Vikings have a competitive lacrosse team, their volleyball program has emerged as a regional power in Division III, eliminating Washington and Lee University from the NCAA Tournament back in November.
Darmante will join the brandnew STUNT program at Randolph College. After competing in football, basketball and competition cheer – along with lacrosse – at RC, she’ll join one of the nascent sports in college athletics. Randolph will be the only school east of the Appalachian Mountains and south of New Jersey to sponsor STUNT when its inaugural team debuts in 2024-25.
Homiak has committed to Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., a Division III program that’s part of the Centennial Conference. The senior lacrosse captain is closing in on 100 career points, and she also contributes on the draw circle and defensive end. Homiak has also competed in basketball and track and field at RC.
Lambert will take his basketball scoring prowess across the county to Southern Virginia University. A two-time All-Valley District honoree, Lambert led the Wildcats in scoring in 2023-24. While the Knights are coming off of a 6-19 campaign in Trace Bevell’s first season at the helm, the program accumulated 27 victories across the previous two years.
Majors plans to continue his baseball career at New River Community College in Dublin. A four-year member of the Wildcat roster, he joins a Muskies program that tied the school record with 22 victories in 2024.
Shearer rounds out the signees from the April ceremony, as she’ll head to Gettysburg College to join the volleyball team. She excelled at the libero position for the Wildcats’ volleyball squad, hitting the 1,000-dig milestone before the end of her junior year, and she’s also received multiple all-region and all-state honors in lacrosse. She scored her 100th career lacrosse goal in last Wednesday’s win over Hidden Valley.
The Bullets were in the NCAA Division III Tournament field last fall, finishing 23-6 overall and reaching the Centennial Conference championship match.
