Gallery: (10-26-2022) Shahala Hawkins HoH Look Back
Shahala Hawkins had several options when it came to playing collegiate athletics. She could opt to play basketball at one of numerous institutions, including West Texas A&M, or choose to play volleyball at one of several schools, Wayland Baptist University being one. She chose the latter, and the Pioneer volleyball program benefited tremendously as a result.
A 6-foot middle hitter from Denver City, Hawkins wound up being a four-time NAIA All-American – including three first-team honors – during her time as a Pioneer from 2012-15. She was the Sooner Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and a two-time SAC Hitter of the Year and MVP, in addition to being named NAIA All-National Tournament in 2013 when she led the Pioneers to their best-ever season: 36 victories and an appearance in the national tournament semifinals. Honored with the Roscoe Snyder Award as the top female student-athlete her senior year, Hawkins was among NAIA statistical leaders throughout her career and continues to hold all hitting and blocking records at Wayland.
(NOTE: Shahala Hawkins – along with Jim Carlisle, Alden Mann, Tamyra Mensah and Mary Williams – will be inducted into the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor, and Kathy Harston will receive the Harley Redin Coach's Award, at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 during a ceremony at the University Center on the WBU campus. Friends and supporters are invited to attend.)
Hawkins began playing volleyball at a young age, in part because volleyball was popular in her hometown and also because her mother, Shearon Rosemond, who played basketball at Western Texas College, was a volleyball official. "Denver City always went to the regional finals," said Hawkins, a three-time all-state hitter who was equally adept at basketball, also picking up all-state accolades as a forward/post, plus was a skilled track & field athlete in the hurdles and jumps. She credits high school coaches Megan David, Jenny McCray and Caleb Henderson for helping her succeed.
"I was going to go to WT for basketball, but at the last minute switched," Hawkins recalled of her decision to play volleyball at Wayland. "I liked both; it was hard to choose. I knew I was never in basketball shape in high school, and in college it's more intense."
Hawkins also had a volleyball offer from Lubbock Christian as well as the University of Kentucky, but the latter was never seriously considered because it was too far from home and she wanted to stay close to her family, including brother Keyshawn.
"I'm really close to my brother. We lost our dad when I was 7 (he died of a heart attack at age 51), and I felt like I needed to be there for (Keyshawn). Plus I'm a home body," said Hawkins, who pointed out that her dad, Johnny, played on a state championship basketball team in Lamesa and was a very good adult league softball player.
Keyshawn would end up following Shahala to Wayland, playing football for the Pioneers from 2014-16. He graduated from Wayland with a math degree and is close to earning his electrical engineering degree at Texas Tech.
Hawkins said she talked to then Flying Queens coach Tory Bryant about playing basketball for the Flying Queens in addition to playing volleyball. "I was going to try to do both, but after my freshman year I hurt my knee, and I didn't think about it again."
Hawkins did suit up for a couple of games for the Flying Queens after using up her volleyball eligibility, but ultimately decided it wasn't for her.
Volleyball, however, certainly was.
After "struggling" her freshman season when the team went 19-15 and lost to Oklahoma Baptist in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship match, the Hawkins-led Pioneers went on quite a run, highlighted by the program's finest-ever season when Hawkins was a sophomore.
"That first year was rough. We had a lot of freshmen and we were like, 'What did we get ourselves into?' But we stayed committed and made it work," Hawkins said. "Coming off that freshman season, we made it to the conference championship so knew what we were capable of. We put in the work that summer and came back and knew we could be good."
As much as the Pioneers improved during Hawkins' sophomore season, they surprised even themselves when – after losing again to seventh-ranked OBU in the conference title match – they won six national tournament games. After knocking off Ottawa (Kan.) in Plainview in what was their first-ever national tournament appearance, 19
th-ranked Wayland moved on to the national tournament final site in Sioux City, Iowa, and proceeded to eliminate No. 9 Vanguard (Calif.), No. 5 Northwestern (Iowa), No. 23 Spring Hill (Ala.), No. 15 Dordt (Iowa) and No. 16 The Master's (Calif.) before running into top-ranked, unbeaten University of Texas-Brownsville. WBU gave the Ocelets a run for their money but ultimately fell, 25-11, 23-25, 25-16, 25-15. UT-Brownsville and its team of international players went on to win their second title in three years.
"The final four is definitely a good memory," Hawkins said. "We went there and just kept winning. I feel like we all clicked at the right time. It was fun. We didn't expect to get to the final four, but when we did, wow!"
Hawkins was named Wayland's first-ever first-team All-American that season, when senior Grecia Rivera was a third-teamer and sophomore Chelsey Driskill all-region.
Another favorite memory for Hawkins came the following season, 2014, when Wayland notched three huge victories over rival Oklahoma Baptist. First, the Pioneers beat the Bison in Shawnee, Okla., to snap OBU's 53-match conference win streak. (OBU left for NCAA Division II the following season). WBU topped the Bison again in Plainview to clinch the conference regular-season title, then a week later prevailed a third time over OBU to capture the SAC Tournament crown.
"I remember those were very intense games," Hawkins said. "Getting them on our home court to win the conference championship was a good memory. Fans were yelling, we were yelling… . It was a lot of fun."
After the final-four appearance, Hawkins and the Pioneers enjoyed two more great seasons her junior and senior years, winning two SAC regular-season championships and two more SAC Tournament titles. Both years Wayland was upended in the opening round of the national tourney.
During her four seasons, the Pioneers posted a combined record of 107-40, an almost 73 percent winning percentage.
Hawkins feels her biggest assets as a player – besides a booming swing and powerful block that produced program records for kills 2,092 (523 more than the next highest), hitting percentage (.353, .057 higher than No. 2 on the list), solo blocks (173), block assists (494, a whopping 137 more than No. 2), and total blocks (667, 144 more than No. 2) – was her confidence and a positive attitude.
Hawkins said coach
Jim Giacomazzi could be tough, and she prided herself on playing the role of "good cop" with her teammates when they got down. "I feel like I gave them the confidence they needed." Maybe that's because she had confidence to spare, obviously for good reason. "I knew if we needed a point that I could come up with it."
Hawkins, who routinely made the President's List, graduated in 2016 with a sociology degree. Today, she lives in Lubbock with her daughter Addyson, who entered kindergarten this fall, and works as a rehab liaison at South Plains Rehab Hospital. She continues to play volleyball in adult leagues in Lubbock and Denver City.
Hawkins said she was surprised to learn of being selected for induction to the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor.
"I was kind of shocked. I haven't been out of school that long. Jim called to tell me and I was like 'Wait…what?' It's an honor to be recognized."
Given the chance, Hawkins said she'd make the same decision again: to play volleyball at Wayland.
"I definitely enjoyed it. The support we had and the memories we made…I thank God for the ability to be able to play at that level.
"My time at Wayland was good."
