ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Student-athletes from Hidden Valley High School made it official Wednesday on National Signing Day.
Inside the gymnasium of the Titans with friends and family witnessing, senior Carlie Plunkett signed to play softball for Emory & Henry University.
Carlie Plunkett said, “So exciting because I remember going to tournaments before this and being so stressed out about having like to email coaches and then just to perform well in front of them and others that I’ve committed and signed, I can go to tournaments and just like play freely and just not have to think about that right now.”
Plunkett has been a four-year player for her Hidden Valley High School Softball Team. She earned her varsity letter in her sophomore year and was named co-captain in her junior and senior years. Plunkett plays first base for the Lady Titans, earning an honorable mention for her work on first base in 2024. She assists her team wherever needed covering as a utility player at third base and outfield.
“Really looking forward to being able to make new relationships with my new teammates and just to continue my athletic career for four more years,” Plunkett added.
Caleigh Ponn committed to play volleyball at Kansas State University on a four-year scholarship. Ponn is a 4-year letter winner and 4-year captain on the volleyball team from 2020- 2024 and has a career playing record, thus far, of 115 wins and 6 losses.
She led her team to a State Runner-Up in 2022 and a State Championship in 2023. She has been named National Max Preps Best Player in Va, AVCA All-American, and 1st team all-state, region, and district every year thus far at Hidden Valley.
“I’m excited to move on, said Ponn. And I think that being here and being in this program is prepared for me to be competitive. And I think that it’s coming out here and expecting and wanting to win 24 seven and having a bunch of good girls who also want to do the same thing has set me up for success.”
She is the Player of the Year in the District, Region, and State. Last season, she was named All Area-Timesland Player of the Year. Caleigh has 8 VHSL Volleyball records and has reached career milestones such as 2,200+ kills, 1,300 digs, and over 336 aces. Caleigh has over 5,000 career spike attempts. She was named AVCA Best and Brightest with a GPA of 4.15.
Ponn added, “So I’m really, really excited and I’m so appreciative of this program itself. Like there’s not many programs like it here in Roanoke. So, I think I got lucky by coming here, that’s for sure.”