CHEYENNE, WY – Another eight Laramie County Community College student athletes celebrated their commitments to four-year schools on Wednesday afternoon on campus with members of the women’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, and volleyball teams represented.

The class was headlined by basketball, who had four players at the tables signing to continue their careers.

The headliner was Lylah Spring, who wrapped up her career as the most dominant post the program has ever seen, setting school marks in scoring, rebounding, and blocks while also being voted the conference player of the year in the postseason accolades.

Spring will be moving on to Central Washington University, an NCAA Division II school in Ellensburg, Washington. The Wildcats are coming off of a 19-12 season and have been a regular in the national tournament since 2021.

“On my visit I fell in love with it. The campus, the gym, the coaches, the girls, everything just felt like home,” Spring said. “I’m really happy with my decision and I can’t wait to get out there.”

The move to Washington marks the first time in 12 years that Spring will not be playing with her teammate Tyra Lovelock who also signed on Wednesday to continue her career at Georgian Court University.

“Tyra has been my rock for many years,” Spring said. “We’ve gone from U14’s to college so there’s not much more you could ask for. I’m so proud of her and I so happy I got to come and have this experience with her.”

“(Lylah) is a big reason I even came to the states honestly,” Lovelock added. “I am so grateful to her because I obviously wouldn’t be able to do these last two years together and I’m proud of her too.”

Lovelock is going to the opposite coast and joins a Lions team that is looking to rebound from a three-win season at the NCAA Division II level, and said it was the campus environment that drew her to the New Jersey school.

“They are mainly interested in my defense,” Lovelock said. “(Coach) is excited about that and just my experience from being a JUCO transfer.”

Lovelock leaves a defensive legacy on the court for the Golden Eagles as the starting point guard for the team as a sophomore and played in 49 games in her two seasons with LCCC.

Joining Lovelock on the east coast is Marija Markovic who will also be joining the Lions at Georgian Court.

Markovic didn’t have the opportunity to play in as many games, coming to LCCC as a sophomore transfer from Highland Community College, and said the transition to her third college in three years should be smooth because of that experience.

“I made the decision pretty quick because I’ve known the coach for a long time,” Markovic added. “I feel like I am used to changes after going from one JUCO to another and now to a four-year school.”

One more Golden Eagle from women’s basketball also made their commitment with Mattie Jones also adding another few years to her playing career. The Torrington, Wyoming native will be heading to St. Louis, Missouri to continue playing for Webster University, an NCAA Division III school.

Jones said she is looking forward to competing the opportunity to compete in a foreign environment to her.

“I’m just excited for something new, being in a big city is obviously not something I am used to being from Torrington so I’m just excited for the change and the opportunity to be there for two years,” Jones said.

The LCCC volleyball team also had another pair of player’s sign bringing their season total to five. Demi Stauffenberg and Sadie Christiansen both are going to be heading to Midwestern State University in Texas, joining Brooke Parker who signed with the Mustangs last spring.

Stauffenberg is leaving a legacy of her own after two years at LCCC which left her seventh all time in career kills with 682 and seventh all time in career digs with 671.

“It’s crazy how much my confidence has shifted, even from freshman year to this year,” Stauffenberg said. “It’s definitely helped me moving forward and these last two years of experience under my belt is totally going to help me going into the future.”

Christiansen also is leaving quite the legacy after being the Golden Eagles top libero for the past two years. Christiansen is third all time in career digs with 944 in two seasons and her sophomore campaign was the fifth best in digs in school history with 544.

“It was super relieving and took some weight off of my shoulders to know where I was going,” Christiansen said. “It helps to have a couple of friends there to help make that decision.”

On the soccer side of things, LCCC sent a pair of goalies from the men’s and women’s team to new schools. Adan Herrera leaves for Colorado Mesa University after just one season with the Golden Eagles.

He was impressive though, putting up a pair of shutouts and only allowing 12 goals in 10 conference games and making 66 total saves on the year. He said he is looking to compete for a starting job immediately once he steps foot on campus for the Mavericks.

“I felt like this is something that I’ve wanted for a while. Going in and competing for a starting spot is just part of my nature and for the next three years, being able to compete at that level is something I am ready for,” Herrera said.

Hannah McNeave closes out the signing class. The sophomore from the women’s soccer team was the backup to one of the best goalies the Golden Eagles have ever seen, but still showed her abilities in limited opportunities.

McNeave recorded one shutout in her only start of her career and only allowed three total goals in her time in net.

She is heading to Waldorf University in Iowa where LCCC Head Coach Lugo Arenas was working prior to coming to Cheyenne.

“Talking with him really helped and got me a good insight on the facilities that they have there and where the program was before he left,” McNeave said. “Knowing we will have the same past with the same head coach just makes it really exciting for me.”

The Golden Eagles have signed 19 players from the 2023-24 athletic seasons on to four-year schools with several more expected to sign letters of intent in the next month.

More information on these players and past players who have moved on to the next level can be found at www.golccc.com.