O’Neal’s Jace Brown and Caelan McHarney celebrated their college athletic commitments in a signing ceremony before their peers on Thursday, April 28. Brown has committed to Stevenson University Men’s Swimming, and McHarney signs with St. Lawrence University Women’s Basketball.
“Caelan McHarney has been a driving force and has influenced significant positive change within our school’s athletic department,” shares Athletic Director James Franklin. “She leaves our school as one of the most highly decorated student-athletes in the history of O’Neal. Her accomplishments have helped raise the level of our programs enormously.”
McHarney heads to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. During her time in a Falcon basketball uniform, she has been a 5x Tri-TAC All-Conference team member, 3x NCISAA All-State team member, named to the 2022 NCISAA Senior All-State Game, won over 100 games and scored over 1,000 career points.
“Caelan is every coach’s dream player,” shares Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Lulu Brase. “She brings a tremendous passion and a relentless work ethic to all she does. She has helped build O’Neal Varsity Girls Basketball as one of the State’s top programs, and we are excited to see all she accomplishes at St. Lawrence University.”
In addition to her basketball successes, McHarney has also been a standout three-sport athlete lettering and earning all-conference honors in volleyball, and all-conference and all-state honors in track and field.
Joining McHarney to celebrate his commitment to Stevenson University in Pikesville, Maryland is senior swimmer, Jace Brown. Reflecting on Jace’s contributions to the swim program, Franklin shared, “Jace Brown is a major reason our swim program is now in a much better place than when he arrived. His dedication and ‘do as I do’ style of leadership inspired his peers to do the same. His performances for our team lead to conference championships and competing at the top of the state rankings. He has helped put our swim program in a position of strength for many years.”
Brown has been a four-year member of the O’Neal Varsity Swim Team. During his career, he has been instrumental in helping the men’s team grow through his leadership and work. He has competed at multiple NCISAA Division 3 state meets and was twice named to the all-conference team and also served as team captain during his senior season.
“When I met Jace in 8th grade, I planted a seed about swimming, sharing that his natural speed could help him grow talent in the sport,” shares Varsity Swim Coach Jen Schmitz. “Jace has played an intricate part in recruiting new swimmers, worked tirelessly for his team, and helped create the team culture that we have today. I believe that swimming creates a positive balance in Jace’s life, and I am proud that he has decided to continue swimming in college and honored to have been able to coach him for the last four years.”
In addition to his successes in the pool, Jace was also lettered with the baseball program during his time at O’Neal.
Photo: Jace Brown (left) and Caelan McHarney. Photo by Wendy Hodges.
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