Lady Hawks sending four to next level

LAGUNA, N.M. – Laguna-Acoma lady Hawks athletics is sending four talented athletes to the next level.

Jacine Bahe, Julianna Carrillo, Jacqueline Day and Alenna Scott will move on after high school to continue their athletic careers despite there being no high school sports in New Mexico so far this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Bahe and Scott will be heading to Phoenix, Arizona where they will join the Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) American Indian College women’s basketball team. Carrillo and Day will be staying a little closer to home and attend the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico to play volleyball.

While each of the athletes were thankful for the opportunity to continue playing sports at the next level, each also expressed frustration at not being able to have a normal senior year that included sports.

“It’s stressful but we’ve been there,” Bahe said. “It’s kind of hard because you lose the motivation to do school work and I sometimes lose motivation because its not the same where you go to school, you practice and then you go home.”

Day shared how not having a volleyball season has affected her so far this year.

“It was hard and I was kind of bummed out and sad that we didn’t have a volleyball team. It brought me down but all I could do is move forward and do the exercises that my coach has sent me because you never know when we may get on the court again,” Day said.

Bahe will be joined at SAGU with teammate Scott who said she was recruited to run the point and steer the offense in the right direction.

“They told me they needed a point guard and more athleticism. I’ve been working on my communication skills so I can be a leader and have a bigger role on the team,” Scott said.

Bahe played the number two guard spot for lady Hawks head coach Daniel Garcia but she said she may move to a three or four spot when she suits up for the lady Warriors but realistically, she can play any position with enough coaching. Scott is a firecracker of an athlete with speed and plenty of athleticism SAGU is looking for.

“Aside from talent and their basketball abilities, these girls know how to work. They understand what needs to be done to improve and one of the aspects that gets overlooked a lot of times is they are coachable,” said Garcia. “They have those intangibles that a lot kids don’t possess. They take the coaching and are willing to do what they need to do to improve.”

Over the last couple of seasons, Day has been a pleasant surprise for head coach Monika Sanchez and the lady Hawks. Relatively new to the game, Day surprised many of the coaches in the lady Hawks district who did not see her coming up through the programs’ ranks.

Day said he expects to cover the middle for the Mustangs just like she did for the lady Hawks while Carrillo said she will be the defensive specialists known as the Libero on the court with the different color jersey.

Day’s height and natural athletic ability will serve her team best in the middle while Carrillo’s speed and instinct for the game is a perfect fit for the Mustangs and their new coach Julia Krebs. Sanchez said Krebs is getting a pair of players that are also coachable and great leaders on and off the court.

“Although Jackie is the quiet one, she leads by example, she leads by her hustle and she leads by her positive fights and she is something that the kids feed off because she gets so excited and then Julianna knows the game. She’s going to pick up a lot more from this coach. (Krebs) is personable and she knows how to relate to the girls,” Sanchez said.

All four of the college recruits expressed thanks to their teammates and coaches and to the Laguna-Acoma community for helping them reach the next level. It was Carrillo who said there is also another reason she is looking for to going to college and playing sports.

“I have four sisters and I need some time to myself,” Carrillo joked. “But they look up to me and I want to set a good example for them. I would like to encourage those that are still in school to set goals and know that no matter what life throws at you (like the pandemic), anything is accomplishable. Work hard and most of all keep your grades up.”