A signing ceremony was held Monday afternoon at the Multipurpose Athletic Center for nine members of the Brownwood High School Class of 2026 who will continue their athletic and academic careers at the next level.

Aniah Hines is headed to East Texas as her volleyball career will continue at Panola College after graduation.

Hines said of the chance to extend her volleyball playing days, “It means I’ve worked hard and all my hard work paid off. I get to put my name out there and represent Brownwood forever.”

Regarding the decision to attend Panola – which is an NJCAA program in Carthage – Hines said, “The coach played at Florida State and has a bunch of connections and can help me get to the next level.”

Hines – who was also a member of the Lady Lions’ track program, including the 2025 state championship squad and gold-medalist 4×100 relay – was a first-team all-district performer in volleyball as both a senior and junior, while making the second team her sophomore year.

Reflecting on her fondest memories as a Brownwood athlete, Hines said, “Honestly winning track in state. That was the biggest moment of my high school career, even though I didn’t want to run track at first, the best memories are being with my team. In volleyball, I was able to lead to my team and help the underclassmen grow. There are a lot of freshmen that I’ll watch play for another three years.”

Hines intends to major in Kinesiology with plans to become a coach.

Lady Lions volleyball head coach Kristen Grimes said of Hines, “I only got to coach Aniah for a year. When I took the job, I went to find as much film as I could to see what our players can do, and I was immediately impressed with Aniah. She looks like a player that can play all six rotations and any position you put her in, and she does just that. She’s extremely athletic, talented and coachable. She has so much drive, so much potential, and I fully believe she’s going to do amazing things at Panola. I know she’s going to go further past Panola because she hasn’t come close to reaching her max. They’re getting a good one.”