Hornets' Malyszek, Williams sign with college programs
Nov. 10—Aiken High School kicked off the NCAA early signing period with a bang Wednesday, sending two student-athletes to the collegiate level in front of big crowds of teammates, friends and coaches.
The Hornets' Lindsey Malyszek inked with Presbyterian College to play soccer, and Dawson Williams is headed to Savannah State University to play baseball.
Malyszek, who with Mallory Rich commanded the middle of the field for the Hornets during last year's Region 5-AAAA championship run, will play center midfield for the Blue Hose.
"As soon as I stepped on campus, it just felt like home," said Malyszek, who wants to study biology. "All of the coaches were so nice, and meeting some of the players and the other people that go there just felt like it was the right school for me."
Malyszek was named Co-Region Player of the Year last year and scored nine goals with a team-high 13 assists to help lead Aiken to its first region championship since 2001. Head coach Victor Tice said that her work ethic and humility, combined with her skill level, makes his job easier.
"It makes things a whole lot easier," he said. "You don't want to try to compare her to others, because her work rate is so much different than everyone else's. They may not go 100% all the time, even in practice — that's her, 100% all the time, constantly challenging herself, and it's paid off."
Malyszek said her years playing at Aiken High have helped grow her confidence, both as a player and as a person, to prepare her to take on this next challenge. First, though, she and the Hornets will look to defend their region title and make a deeper postseason run.
Williams also got his signing out of the way before his senior season, and head coach Gary Asbill said his continuous hard work over the summer earned him his spot at Savannah State.
"It's just a great program," said Williams, who wants to study computer science and engineering. "Everything's good. Coach (Carlton) Hardy has a great way that he coaches. The place is cool. The college is good. Everything's good."
Williams will play in the middle of the infield for the Tigers, and Asbill said that he possesses the athletic "twitchiness" — quick first step, quick hands, quick bat — that college coaches look for to see if they have the type of athlete they want on the field.
Asbill watched last season as Williams faced some struggles statistically but didn't let it bother him. He kept up his hard work throughout the summer and performed well enough at camps and showcases to put himself in position to be noticed by college coaches.
"He works hard. He does what he's supposed to. He battles adversity. Had a tough year last year, found a way to keep his nose down," Asbill said. "It's great to see those guys succeed, especially having coached at that level, to understand what it takes to get there and the work that it requires and knowing, that when a student-athlete sits behind that table, that they're committing themselves to do that. It's great to see guys who have gone through adversity because in college you're going to go through it more, as I did. He's got the determination and grit to do it, so it's exciting for me."
