History was made at Rockbridge County High School on Nov. 10, 2022 when four female athletes signed to D1 schools. There have only been four total female athletes to sign D1 schools before this day. 

Alison Pfaff is committed to Duke University to swim in the upcoming 2023 school year. Pfaff has been swimming since she was four and began year-round training when she was five. Pfaff says her favorite part about swimming is the races because of her competitiveness.

 “Practice is fun because you’re with your friends but racing makes the sport” said Pfaff. Pfaff is looking forward to the upcoming season and the opportunity to continue playing her sport at a higher level.

McKenzie Hines is committed to play lacrosse at Radford University next spring. She began playing lacrosse in the 5th grade when Coach Nye introduced her to the sport. 

“I am most excited to play D1 for the speed of the game and the intensity. My favorite aspect of the sport is that it’s a fast moving game and something is always happening” said Hines. 

In the off-season, Hines plays basketball and finds time to practice lacrosse when she is not on the court. 

Rachel Hines is committed to Liberty University to play lacrosse next spring. Hines has been playing lacrosse since she was eleven years old when she discovered it and instantly fell in love with it. 

“Coach Nye introduced me to the sport. Before lacrosse she was my soccer and basketball coach so once she convinced me into playing I fell in love with the sport right off the bat” said Hines. 

Hines says that she enjoys playing lacrosse because it’s constantly changing and there is always something new to learn. 

“I’m really excited to play at the next level and build relationships with a new team” said Hines. To prepare for the season she is working on foot drills and shooting in her free time when shes not running the track for cross country or balling on the basketball court.

Sofia Vargas is committed to The Citadel to continue her golf career. 

“I started playing golf freshman year of highschool. I was at Kings Mill Resort (golfing was really big there) with my family at dinner and I decided I kinda wanted to play golf there at that moment, and my parents said well you’ve got club soccer, you gotta play, and I said I really don’t really care about that” said Vargas. 

When they returned from their vacation, Vargas began playing golf and hasn’t stopped since. In preparation for her upcoming season, she will be working on strength and fitness, and in the summe,r she will compete in tournaments. 

“I’m most excited about competing against really good people and I’ve mainly competed against boys in high school so I think it’ll be fun to compete against girls.” She is also excited to experience the military part and is looking forward to the structure. 

These cats made history and began to pave the way for future female athletes to excel in their sports. These Wildcat families and friends cannot wait to see what these ladies do on the field, on the golf course, and in the pool.