PICKENS — A pair of Pickens High School athletes saw their dreams come true recently as they signed to take their talents to the collegiate level.

Blue Flame baseball senior Austin Lanier inked with Limestone College on April 10, while cross country runner Anna Cummings signed to run at Spartanburg Methodist on April 15.

Coaches for both athletes said they have gotten this far based on all the hard work they have put in.

“(Lanier) has been a tremendous leader for us,” PHS baseball coach Stan Butler said. “He has been one of those guys I can depend on.

“It is just a testament to his work ethic and what he has done in the offseason and in the classroom.”

Pickens girls’ track and cross country coach Bryan Clevenger echoed Butler’s sentiments.

“Anna has meant a lot to this team,” Clevenger said. “She’s a workhorse, and you won’t find anybody with her work ethic.”

The athletes also stressed the importance of the hard work they have put in.

“I’ve worked really hard for this and I’m excited to go to college on a scholarship,” Cummings said. “Not many people can say that.”

“If you work hard in the summer and work hard on the weekend and really work hard all the time, you will have an opportunity,” Lanier said.

For Butler, who was recently named as the successor for retiring Pickens athletic director Steve Corn, nothing is more exciting than seeing high school athletes make the transition to college student-athletes.

“We are a community-based school, and it’s really something our community can take pride in,” said Butler, who will take over athletic director duties after the end of this school year.