When Sami Feller verbally committed to Arizona State University women's soccer team as a sophomore at Palisade High School, she was surprised when the coaching staff told her she'd made her commitment late in the process.
High-level college soccer, more than many other sports, sees players commit early in recruiting.
Feller, at that point, wasn't sure what she was looking for in a university. When she decided she'd rather stay in-state, she wasn't sure she'd have a team to play for. Then she connected with the University of Denver, where former Grand Junction High School standout Leah Swander was playing.
Feller talked with Swander, who praised the program, then reached out the coaching staff. The Pioneers were happy to take a player of Feller's quality and the goal-scoring forward would get to stay in the state she loves.
"First off, I love Colorado," Feller said. "I've grown up here and I really can't imagine myself spending my time anywhere else. I think when I committed to Arizona State, it was a very spur-of-the-moment excitement decision. I realized later that that wasn't the route I wanted to go. I was fortunate enough to still have the coaches at DU accept me pretty late."
Feller was one of two Palisade girls soccer players to sign national letters of intent Wednesday.
Lexi Newton signed with Colorado Mesa University, where her highly technical style of play and familiarity with the program made the Mavs a natural fit.
"I did a practice there and I love the way they run practice," Newton said. "The team is super awesome and nice and I've known (Mavericks coach) Jason (Clare) for about five years now. He coached me when I was younger."
Fruita Monument
A pair of athletes who play big roles for both the Wildcats' volleyball and girls basketball teams were two of six to sign letters of intent.
Sitori Carver signed to play basketball at Bethany College (Kansas) and Kenzie Wells to play volleyball at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling.
Carver said Swedes head coach Keith Ferguson reminded her of Wildcats girls basketball coach Michael Wells.
"Their coach is obviously really great and coming from coach Wells, I need someone who's intense and will push me and care about me as a person as well," Carver said. "Coach Ferguson really gave me that vibe and I'm super excited to play for him."
Wells said the attitude of the team convinced her to head to Sterling.
"I got a chance to sit down with some of the girls and I really liked what they said to me," Wells said. "Just what they preached about the program and how wonderful it was. I got the chance to get to know the coach and stuff and I really like the way she runs the program and what she said is expected of me."
Two boys soccer players signed to play at the next level. Sam Pflug signed with Regis University, saying the proximity to home and prospective education were the main factors. He plans to study criminology and pre-law with the goal of eventually attending law school.
"I talked to some schools out of state first and after a while just decided I wanted to stay in Colorado," Pflug said. "I like Denver, have family there. I talked to some D-I schools — Air Force, DU — but just with my focus on academics, D-II and Regis became the right fit."
Marc Halberg found out his offer at Benedictine College (Kansas) had come through only days before the signing ceremony. He seized the opportunity to sign on the same day as his friend and teammate, adding that his Catholic faith and the quality of education drew him to the Ravens.
"It's incredible that it worked out that way," Halberg said of the signing. "I found out one of my teammates was signing and said 'Oh, I want to sign with you. That'd be really special.' Got talking to the school and it sorta worked out. I couldn't have dreamt it any better."
Tyler Tuell and Druw Sackett made commitments for baseball.
Sackett signed with Scottsdale Community College and said the opportunity to play in Arizona was appealing.
"Just being down there and having a lot longer season," Sackett said. "Being out there longer is big and the competition speaks for itself."
Tuell signed at Augustana College (Illinois) and said the school's high-quality physics program led to his choice. "The academic program drew me there," Tuell said. "I'm going to go there and study physics. I fit really well into their outfield, as well."
Grand Junction
Abram Sanchez signed with Colorado Mesa University and said the opportunity to stay local is a dream come true.
"I grew up here in town, watching them play," Sanchez said. "I've watched them grow as a team and do well as a team and I've always had a really strong passion for watching them play. It's been like a dream, since I was little, to play collegiately, to play in that stadium as a CMU Maverick."
Grand Junction running back and linebacker Logan Grossnickle also celebrated his preferred walk-on status with the Colorado Mesa University football team.
Central
Linebacker Weston Holdren will get the opportunity to play in football's most fanatical state after signing with West Texas A&M. Holdren said he was drawn to the small town of Canyon, Texas.
"Football down there is like a religion, almost," Holdren said. "The town is amazing, the campus is awesome and they care about academics, which is a really big point with me."