High school sports are entirely different than playing at a collegiate level. Among many of our viking alumni, there are a handful of athletes picked each year to further their athletic career.

Senior All Cash was guided by her dedication to running, while keeping someone really close to her in mind when making the decision.

“Besides having a passion for running which is the obvious reason, I wanted to be able to help my mom out in some way. College is expensive and if I could help her out by getting a scholarship -whether that be academics or athletics – I was going to do that,” Cash said.

That is exactly what Cash did. She attended the University of Oregon the fall after her graduation. Cash is no stranger to record breaking and continues to strive for excellence with her skills.

“I scored for our cross country team in every meet this fall and ended up being our top finisher at the NCAA cross country meet for the first time that season,” Cash said. We finished sixth as a team out of the top 40 teams in the nation, which was really exciting.”

There is a specific place in which Cash is determined to spend most of her time gearing up for her upcoming races.

“Practice is definitely my favorite part of the day, I stay at Hayward Field as long as possible,” Cash said.

At such a competitive point in her college career thus far, Cash won’t stop shy of her comfort zone.

“I ran a bit of indoor this year, which was a new season for me. It was fun trying out some new things. Outdoor just started a few weeks ago but I [recently] ran my first steeplechase a couple weeks ago and ran 10:30 with a teammate which is the eighth highest record in school history!” Cash said.

Cash hopes that upcoming athletes – preparing to make the transition – choose what is in their best interest.

“If you have the option to compete at the next level in whatever your sport is, you should consider it,” Cash said. “There will come a day when you physically won’t be able to compete anymore…so why stop short of that?”

Viking alum Marleah Campbell is getting acclimating to college sports as well.

“[It] was definitely really challenging. In college, everyone is faster, quicker, stronger and overall more athletic. Physically, it’s a whole different level. The speed and physicality of the game is a huge step up from high school.” Campbell said. “One of the biggest adjustments was definitely the mental aspect of the game.”

Many factors affected her decision to continue sports into college, but most importantly Campbell had envisioned it at a very young age.

“I’ve been wanting to play basketball in college since as long as I can remember. I’ve had a passion for it from a really young age, and it’s always been a dream of mine to play at the collegiate level,” Cash said. “Signing with Wyoming fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and it’s surpassed every expectation I’ve had.”

For Campbell’s team there is rarely any off time. They begin preparing and improving as soon as basketball season is over.

“As soon as we got back from Spring Break, we started post season workouts. We have weights and conditioning as a team every day. Additionally, we have basketball workouts several times a week,” Campbell said.

For those students who deem college sports as their destiny, it takes a lot of endurance and adjustment.

“Playing at the collegiate level is an incredible experience that I would wholeheartedly recommend to pursue, but you’ve got to be ready to put in the work. It’s been one of the most challenging experiences I’ve had, but it’s made me a stronger person on and off the court,” Campbell said.

Special congratulations to all students who signed to play at the collegiate level.