Three James Clemens athletes sign college scholarships
Good’s now-former softball coach, A.J. Daugherty, speaks on her accomplishments at James Clemens as she sits with her mom.
By Nick Sellers | For The Record
It was a morning of firsts for James Clemens High School on May 13, as three student-athletes became the first student-athletes from Clemens to sign college scholarships for golf, softball and track and field.
Cody Jacobs signed with Faulkner University in Montgomery, where he will compete with the men’s golf team. Rachel Good, standout softball player for Clemens, signed with Southern Union, and Leila Elliott signed papers to run track at UAB.
“It feels great,” Elliott said of her commitment. “I’m happy to get it done with, but it’s also great to know I’ll be going to a great college.”
Elliott said she plans to study nursing at UAB, and the university’s reputation was a big factor in her decision.
Good made official her months-long commitment to Southern Union Community College in Wadley, about an hour’s drive from Auburn.
“Their record is amazing and they grew from when they first started having a softball team,” Good said of Southern Union’s team, which won its conference crown and made it to the NJCAA Championships in Utah this past year.
“I wanted to go to a community college before I went to a big college, so that made up my mind,” she said.
Faulkner University is heavily affiliated with the Church of Christ, and that was the clinching factor for Jacobs, he said.
“It really hasn’t set in yet,” Jacobs said. “I’m still waiting for it to all sink in and realize what I’m going to do, but I’m sure it will sink in here for the next couple of weeks and months. When I get down there and start practicing with the team I’m sure it will set in pretty quick.”
As James Clemens is only in its second year of existence, the school’s reputation is not well-established among university athletics, but at least one Clemens senior aims to change that.
“It’s a big responsibility but I think I can handle it,” Jacobs said. “I’ll try to put us on the map.”
