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Apr. 10—Like many kids born and raised in Alaska, Liv Crosby grew up around guns and learned how to shoot at an early age. However, the Lumen Christi High School senior never imagined that her passion for riflery in particular would pave the way for her to become not only a junior Olympian, but also a collegiate student-athlete.
"We've always kind of had guns in our life, in kind of the Alaskan way," Crosby said. "We have a cabin up north that we would shoot .22s, just shooting cans out of the creek. I've been doing that for as long as I can remember, since I could even hold a rifle."
Some of her earliest memories are of her father, Rich, helping her hold up a rifle. When he heard that her high school was starting a team, they thought it'd be a good idea for her to join. Now, she's committed to compete at the NCAA Division I level at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, starting this fall.
"I used to do track, and I was a really big runner, but I wasn't a super big fan of it," Crosby said. "As soon as I started riflery, I realized that there's actually a sport that I do enjoy doing."
She first started riflery in seventh grade at 11 years old. In 10th grade, she joined the Borealis Bullseyes, a club team that consists of sharpshooters from schools all over town.
When she was a junior, Crosby started thinking about continuing the sport competitively after high school but wasn't sure: She had only begun competing at the high school level a year prior and wasn't that confident in her abilities.
"Just in this last year, I've been really progressing, since I got new gear and a new rifle," she said.
Her improvement from last year was so significant that she was one of a few Alaskans who qualified for the Junior Olympic games in Anniston, Alabama, which get underway Saturday and run through Monday.
"I have a few friends who now shoot on college teams, who shot with this club in the past years," she said. "I wanted to follow in their footsteps. It seems like a great community, and it's a great way to get immersed into college."
The recruiting process
Despite Alaska being home to one of the top collegiate riflery programs in the nation, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the state is far from the top of the list for college coaches hitting the recruiting trail.
Like other aspiring collegiate athletes from the 49th state who came before her, Crosby had put herself on the radar of prospective recruiters.
"I sent emails out and called some of the coaches to about 10 schools after I had already applied to the school in general and got accepted, which was a big part of it," she said. "When I emailed Wofford College in South Carolina, he responded, asked to set up a call meeting, and we did, and he was excited to have a spot on the team for me."
Even after reaching out to nearly a dozen programs, for Crosby, it was "Wofford all the way" after she received an offer from Terriers head coach Seth Flanagan.
"I was a little bit late into the recruiting process, so most schools didn't have any spots on their team by the time I sent out emails and things, but I'm really glad that Wofford accepted," she said.
While she has family in North Carolina and has vacationed there in the past, she hadn't been to South Carolina until she made her first official visit to Wofford campus a few weeks ago.
"We got to see the range, I met the team, and it was just really great," Crosby said. "We took a campus tour, got to chat with the coach a lot, and it felt really personal. And the weather was gorgeous, which helped, especially coming from Alaska where it was still snowing."
Crosby isn't sure what she wants to major in just yet but hopes to find an academic passion to follow while taking her general education and prerequisite courses as a freshman and sophomore.
Looking ahead to upcoming national competitions
Crosby officially signed her letter of intent to Wofford on Thursday during a ceremony at Lumen Christi. Later that night, she hopped on a flight to Alabama for the Junior Olympics, and from there she'll fly to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the Western Regionals, which will take place from April 16-18. Crosby came in fifth place at last year's regional competition, even as she felt she wasn't at her strongest competitively.
"There aren't any coaches going to Junior Olympics, unfortunately, but I will be with my mom," she said. "I'll regroup with the team on the way to Utah and shoot regionals with them, and then fly back home."
This month's trip will also mark her first time participating in the Junior Olympics, which has her feeling "a little nervous" but ecstatic about the opportunity.
"I'm still pretty new to the sport, so I'm excited to see how it's gonna be this year," she said.
Crosby qualified for the Junior Olympics at the regional qualifiers in December, in Fairbanks on the Nanooks' home range.
"That was really cool, and it's also very cold, and that was fun," she said. "They just sent out invites a few weeks ago, and I just barely qualified. So I'm excited to go shoot."
The Anchorage Daily News asked coaches, parents and student-athletes to report individual college commitments. The following list is a compilation of those responses along with reporting from ADN sports reporter Josh Reed. If you know of a local student-athlete who could be included in a future article on college commitments, email [email protected] or [email protected].
Bartlett
Deuce Alailefaleula will be competing in football at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho.
Palmer
Nolan Garner will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Reed Craner will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
North Pole
Elijah Johnson will be competing in track and field at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota.
Landon Ritter will be competing in football at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.
Jaelynn Colby will be competing in flag football at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.
Patrick Melvin will be competing in football at Culver-Stockton University in Canton, Missouri.
Michael Putnam will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Chugiak
Sabreena Otts will be competing in wrestling at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Petra Knox will be competing in track and field at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
Oliviya Rodriguez will be competing in volleyball at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Elise Kelley will be competing in volleyball at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Hannah Shaha will be competing in cross country running and track and field at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.
Dimond
Elizabeth Sharpe will be competing in hockey at Nazareth University in Pittsford, New York.
Mountain City Christian Academy
Liam Pettit will be competing in track and field at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
Jasmine Schaeffer will be competing in basketball at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.
Keelie Kronberger will be competing in basketball at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Unalaska
Vaiula Leaoa will be competing in volleyball at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Seward
Micah Brueckner will be competing in football at Crown College in Laketown Township, Minnesota.
Emerson Cross will be competing in basketball at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Regan Seibert will be competing in track and field at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.
Mikinley Williams will be competing in volleyball at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.
Sitka
Caleb Calhoun will be competing in baseball at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.
Eagle River
Ayden Sorensen will be competing in football at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska.
Kenai Central
Sophie Tapley will be competing in volleyball at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Service
Nevaeh Dunlap will be competing in soccer at Park University Gilbert in Gilbert, Arizona.
Lily Ruiz will be competing in volleyball at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, California.
William Anderson will be competing in football at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
PJ Levao will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
To'o Malaesilia will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Cassidy Phillip will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Jenri Mota will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
South
Landon Drumm will be competing in football at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Ava Murphy will be competing in women's rowing at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Indy Kmet will be competing in volleyball at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Bettye Davis East
Rosie Conway will be competing in cross country running and track and field at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.
Sela Rodriguez will be competing in softball at St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York.
Colony
Addison Stewart will be competing in soccer at Edmonds College in Lynnwood, Washington.
Delta Junction
Calyse Clark will be competing in women's wrestling at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan.
Iris Haas will be competing in cross country running and track and field at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
West Valley
Adom Lassey will be competing in soccer at the University of Minnesota Morris in Morris, Minnesota.
Quinn Willis will be competing in soccer at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.
Koen Aitken will be competing in soccer at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado.
Valdez
Lola Compehos will be competing in volleyball at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington.
Destiny Day will be competing in basketball at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, California.
Soldotna
Liam Peck will be competing in basketball at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Johnny Wardas will be competing in soccer at Klamath Community College in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Colby Sturman will be competing in baseball at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona.
Andon Wolverton will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Matthew Schilling will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Michael Dickinson will be competing in wrestling at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Tania Boonstra will be competing in cross country running and Nordic skiing at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan.
Kyleigh Gaffney will be competing in women's hockey at Neumann University in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Sophia Jedlicki will be competing in track and field at University of Alaska Anchorage.
Tyce Escott will be competing in track and field at University of Alaska Anchorage.
Sarah Brown will be competing in track and field at Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Emily O'Reagan will be competing in soccer at Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri.
Lane Hillyer will be competing in soccer at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Luke Hillyer will be competing in soccer at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Continue reading...
"We've always kind of had guns in our life, in kind of the Alaskan way," Crosby said. "We have a cabin up north that we would shoot .22s, just shooting cans out of the creek. I've been doing that for as long as I can remember, since I could even hold a rifle."
Some of her earliest memories are of her father, Rich, helping her hold up a rifle. When he heard that her high school was starting a team, they thought it'd be a good idea for her to join. Now, she's committed to compete at the NCAA Division I level at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, starting this fall.
"I used to do track, and I was a really big runner, but I wasn't a super big fan of it," Crosby said. "As soon as I started riflery, I realized that there's actually a sport that I do enjoy doing."
She first started riflery in seventh grade at 11 years old. In 10th grade, she joined the Borealis Bullseyes, a club team that consists of sharpshooters from schools all over town.
When she was a junior, Crosby started thinking about continuing the sport competitively after high school but wasn't sure: She had only begun competing at the high school level a year prior and wasn't that confident in her abilities.
"Just in this last year, I've been really progressing, since I got new gear and a new rifle," she said.
Her improvement from last year was so significant that she was one of a few Alaskans who qualified for the Junior Olympic games in Anniston, Alabama, which get underway Saturday and run through Monday.
"I have a few friends who now shoot on college teams, who shot with this club in the past years," she said. "I wanted to follow in their footsteps. It seems like a great community, and it's a great way to get immersed into college."
The recruiting process
Despite Alaska being home to one of the top collegiate riflery programs in the nation, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the state is far from the top of the list for college coaches hitting the recruiting trail.
Like other aspiring collegiate athletes from the 49th state who came before her, Crosby had put herself on the radar of prospective recruiters.
"I sent emails out and called some of the coaches to about 10 schools after I had already applied to the school in general and got accepted, which was a big part of it," she said. "When I emailed Wofford College in South Carolina, he responded, asked to set up a call meeting, and we did, and he was excited to have a spot on the team for me."
Even after reaching out to nearly a dozen programs, for Crosby, it was "Wofford all the way" after she received an offer from Terriers head coach Seth Flanagan.
"I was a little bit late into the recruiting process, so most schools didn't have any spots on their team by the time I sent out emails and things, but I'm really glad that Wofford accepted," she said.
While she has family in North Carolina and has vacationed there in the past, she hadn't been to South Carolina until she made her first official visit to Wofford campus a few weeks ago.
"We got to see the range, I met the team, and it was just really great," Crosby said. "We took a campus tour, got to chat with the coach a lot, and it felt really personal. And the weather was gorgeous, which helped, especially coming from Alaska where it was still snowing."
Crosby isn't sure what she wants to major in just yet but hopes to find an academic passion to follow while taking her general education and prerequisite courses as a freshman and sophomore.
Looking ahead to upcoming national competitions
Crosby officially signed her letter of intent to Wofford on Thursday during a ceremony at Lumen Christi. Later that night, she hopped on a flight to Alabama for the Junior Olympics, and from there she'll fly to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the Western Regionals, which will take place from April 16-18. Crosby came in fifth place at last year's regional competition, even as she felt she wasn't at her strongest competitively.
"There aren't any coaches going to Junior Olympics, unfortunately, but I will be with my mom," she said. "I'll regroup with the team on the way to Utah and shoot regionals with them, and then fly back home."
This month's trip will also mark her first time participating in the Junior Olympics, which has her feeling "a little nervous" but ecstatic about the opportunity.
"I'm still pretty new to the sport, so I'm excited to see how it's gonna be this year," she said.
Crosby qualified for the Junior Olympics at the regional qualifiers in December, in Fairbanks on the Nanooks' home range.
"That was really cool, and it's also very cold, and that was fun," she said. "They just sent out invites a few weeks ago, and I just barely qualified. So I'm excited to go shoot."
The Anchorage Daily News asked coaches, parents and student-athletes to report individual college commitments. The following list is a compilation of those responses along with reporting from ADN sports reporter Josh Reed. If you know of a local student-athlete who could be included in a future article on college commitments, email [email protected] or [email protected].
Bartlett
Deuce Alailefaleula will be competing in football at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho.
Palmer
Nolan Garner will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Reed Craner will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
North Pole
Elijah Johnson will be competing in track and field at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota.
Landon Ritter will be competing in football at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.
Jaelynn Colby will be competing in flag football at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.
Patrick Melvin will be competing in football at Culver-Stockton University in Canton, Missouri.
Michael Putnam will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Chugiak
Sabreena Otts will be competing in wrestling at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Petra Knox will be competing in track and field at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
Oliviya Rodriguez will be competing in volleyball at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Elise Kelley will be competing in volleyball at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Hannah Shaha will be competing in cross country running and track and field at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.
Dimond
Elizabeth Sharpe will be competing in hockey at Nazareth University in Pittsford, New York.
Mountain City Christian Academy
Liam Pettit will be competing in track and field at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
Jasmine Schaeffer will be competing in basketball at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.
Keelie Kronberger will be competing in basketball at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Unalaska
Vaiula Leaoa will be competing in volleyball at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Seward
Micah Brueckner will be competing in football at Crown College in Laketown Township, Minnesota.
Emerson Cross will be competing in basketball at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Regan Seibert will be competing in track and field at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.
Mikinley Williams will be competing in volleyball at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.
Sitka
Caleb Calhoun will be competing in baseball at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.
Eagle River
Ayden Sorensen will be competing in football at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska.
Kenai Central
Sophie Tapley will be competing in volleyball at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Service
Nevaeh Dunlap will be competing in soccer at Park University Gilbert in Gilbert, Arizona.
Lily Ruiz will be competing in volleyball at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, California.
William Anderson will be competing in football at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
PJ Levao will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
To'o Malaesilia will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Cassidy Phillip will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Jenri Mota will be competing in football at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
South
Landon Drumm will be competing in football at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Ava Murphy will be competing in women's rowing at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Indy Kmet will be competing in volleyball at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Bettye Davis East
Rosie Conway will be competing in cross country running and track and field at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.
Sela Rodriguez will be competing in softball at St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York.
Colony
Addison Stewart will be competing in soccer at Edmonds College in Lynnwood, Washington.
Delta Junction
Calyse Clark will be competing in women's wrestling at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan.
Iris Haas will be competing in cross country running and track and field at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
West Valley
Adom Lassey will be competing in soccer at the University of Minnesota Morris in Morris, Minnesota.
Quinn Willis will be competing in soccer at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.
Koen Aitken will be competing in soccer at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado.
Valdez
Lola Compehos will be competing in volleyball at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington.
Destiny Day will be competing in basketball at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, California.
Soldotna
Liam Peck will be competing in basketball at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota.
Johnny Wardas will be competing in soccer at Klamath Community College in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Colby Sturman will be competing in baseball at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona.
Andon Wolverton will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Matthew Schilling will be competing in football at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Michael Dickinson will be competing in wrestling at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Tania Boonstra will be competing in cross country running and Nordic skiing at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan.
Kyleigh Gaffney will be competing in women's hockey at Neumann University in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Sophia Jedlicki will be competing in track and field at University of Alaska Anchorage.
Tyce Escott will be competing in track and field at University of Alaska Anchorage.
Sarah Brown will be competing in track and field at Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Emily O'Reagan will be competing in soccer at Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri.
Lane Hillyer will be competing in soccer at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Luke Hillyer will be competing in soccer at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Continue reading...
