Kyla Toles, Jackie Sullivan, Darian Bullock, Rachel Barnes, Lexi Burden and Shellby Hoeppner pose during CNE’s signing ceremony on May 1.

Kyla Toles, Jackie Sullivan, Darian Bullock, Rachel Barnes, Lexi Burden and Shellby Hoeppner pose during CNE’s signing ceremony on May 1.
By Chris Chaney
Sun staff

Clermont Northeastern High School spread its athletic signing festivities across the months of February, March and April celebrating six student-athletes who have committed or signed to compete at the next level.

Soccer players Kyla Toles and Jackie Sullivan, basketball player Darian Bullock, volleyball player Rachel Barnes, softball player Lexi Burden and golfer Shellby Hoeppner all reconvened in the school library on Friday, May 1 to be honored by the school.

Toles, a senior forward for the Lady Rockets, will play her college soccer at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. She was a three-time Southern Buckeye Conference All-Star, twice named to the conference’s First Team and the Player of the Year her senior season.

“I chose (Shawnee State) because it had a great campus,” Toles said. “The team is really family-oriented and personal. It’s the kind of campus that felt like home.”

Toles plans to study occupational therapy.

Sullivan, Toles’ running mate up front, will play her college soccer at Union College in Barbourville, Ky.

“When I visited, the campus was really pretty and there were a lot of activities available,” Sullivan said. “The girls on the soccer team were really nice and they reminded me of my high school team.

“The coaches said they would help me with different things that would help me improve my game and they give everyone the same opportunity to play.”

Sullivan was a four-time All-SBC selection and three-time First Team honoree. During her senior year as a Lady Rocket, Sullivan scored 13 goals and assisted on 10 others, second on the team only to Toles.

Sullivan said she hopes to compete for a starting spot during her freshman year while also figuring out what she plans to major in. Currently, Sullivan said she is leaning towards a business degree.

Bullock, a 6-foot-2 forward, will play his college ball at UC Clermont College.

“Coach (Greg) Himes offered to help me further myself as a player and they also offer occupational therapy, which is my intended major,” Bullock said of his decision. “The school is local so I can still be around my friends and family.”

Bullock joins the Cougars coming off of a senior season in which he averaged 6.9 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals. He hopes to help his new team right away.

“My intentions are to come in be a great team member,” Bullock said. “As the season progresses, I want to make a big impact on the team, be a facilitator and play my role.”

Barnes, a middle blocker and outside hitter on CNE’s volleyball team, will play at Mount Saint Joseph University.

“It was a really small campus and it was only an hour away, so I liked that,” Barnes said of her decision to become an MSJ Lion. “They have a good research program for the sciences, which was a plus.”

The sciences were important to Barnes because she wants to obtain a chemistry degree and explore the possibility of pre-med.

On the court, Barnes was named a First Team All-SBC performer following a senior season that saw six-footer rack up 215 kills and 26 blocks. She also accounted for 52 service aces, which was top-10 in the conference.

Barnes said she’s a member of a large incoming freshman class, so she wasn’t sure what to expect other than a competitive environment in which she hopes to thrive.

Burden, a third baseman and outfielder on the softball team, will play her college ball at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

“With Ohio Northern, the biggest thing that started me on it was that we drove through the campus avoiding an accident coming home from a softball tournament up north,” Burden explained. “We decided to swing by and looked around the campus.

“I’ve stayed with the girls about four times now and every time you feel welcome. It’s like a family, not only on the team, but the entire athletic department.”

Burden will join the ONU family after four years as part of the CNE family, during which she was a member some of the most prolific softball runs in school history.

So far this spring, Burden is batting .302 with seven doubles and 17 RBI. The Lady Rockets will play in the first round of the Division II sectional tournament on May 12 against Wyoming.

Lastly, Hoeppner will play her college golf at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Ind. just north of Evansville.

“I chose Oakland City because it was a nice, small campus and a good Christian school,” Hoeppner said. “It was close enough to home, but not too far that I couldn’t make it home within a day. They have a good graphic design program and golf program.”

Hoeppner was a district qualifier her senior season, shooting an 89 in the sectional tournament, placing her eighth individually overall and second among individual qualifiers.

At the district tournament at Pipestone Golf Course, Hoeppner fired an 83 to finish in eighth place overall, missing advancing to state by six strokes.

At OCU, Hoeppner said she expects to have an impact on head coach David Hose’s team right away and by the end of her freshman year, Hoeppner hopes to be competing for the No. 1 spot.