Competing at the next level is the goal of most high school student-athletes, and that mission was accomplished by two members of the Aubrey Lady Chaparrals’ athletic program, Emberlynn Dye and Samantha Williams.
Emberlynn and Samantha were honored with a ceremony hosted in Aubrey High School gym on Monday in front of family, friends and peers as they signed their letters of intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level.
Emberlynn was a three-time regional qualifier and one-time state qualifier as a member of the Lady Chaps powerlift- ing team, and Aubrey head girls powerlifting coach Ron Gathright said her presence on the team will be missed.
“She's been great in our locker room,” he said. “She's a great leader for our young ladies, especially the young ones that we have in powerlifting, so she's meant a lot to our program over the past four years.”
She will be attending East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, where she will receive scholarships for academics and Christian leadership totaling $11,000 as one of the newest members of the Lady Tigers acrobatics and tumbling team.
“I went there for an acrobatics and tumbling clinic back in October, and I absolutely fell in love with it,” Emberlynn said. “I’ve never done anything like it before, but my strength from powerlifting helped a lot, so I gave it a try, and it turned out great.”
Emberlynn said she plans to major in kinesiology while attending ETBU with the goal of one day earning a doctorate in physical therapy and opening her own private practice.
She made sure to thank God, her coaches, her parents and her boyfriend for all the help and support they’ve given her.
“It’s heartwarming to watch her grow up and start this powerlifting journey,” her father, Jeff Dye, said. “She's really impressed me, and it’s awesome to see her here today. All of this brings tears to my eyes, [and] I'm just so excited for her.”
Emberlynn’s mother, Elizabeth Cloud, also expressed the joy she’s felt watching her daughter grow into the young woman she is today.
“I'm so proud to see the integrity, the work ethic [and] the perseverance pay off for her,” she said. “This child amazes me every step of the way. She gets up early. She does her workouts. She goes to work. She comes home. She does her schoolwork, and she doesn't miss a beat. She amazes me, and I want to be her when I grow up.”
Samantha was a fouryear member of the Lady Chaps volleyball program, where she served as one of the team’s floor captains and helped lead the Lady Chaps to a Final Four finish at the UIL 4A Division II State Volleyball Tournament last fall.
“She was instrumental on the court, communicating during and after plays and really doing what was needed to help her team win,” Aubrey head volleyball coach Whitney Stout-Marriott said. “She had a great senior season, and she's had a great career here. Her senior class was able to do some really special things, and she was a huge part of that.”
She will be attending Western Texas College in Snyder, where she will be receiving partial scholarships for athletics and academics
