Three-time state medalist Monroe selects Central
The night before the state track meet is a stressful time for almost any athlete competing in the event. That wasn't the case for Nicolette Monroe.
Instead, the Cibola senior, who medaled in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dash during the 5A-II State Track and Field Championships, felt most at ease the day before. That's because by the time she had arrived in Mesa, she had already committed to compete in Coolidge.
Monroe made that commitment official on Wednesday, signing a letter of intent to attend Central Arizona College. She turned down offers from other schools, including Northern Arizona, to attend the JUCO program.
"I like the size of (Central) and how close together everything is," Monroe said. "(NAU) offered, but I don't think I'm ready to go to a big university yet."
The championship-caliber program leaves little to dislike. The Vaqueras won NJCAA National Championship for women's track in 2006, 2007 and 2008. This year Central finished as national runners-up.
Monroe will mainly run the 400 dash for Central, an event she admitted to disliking when she first started training for it a the prep level.
But as her experience with it grew, so did her enjoyment with the one-lap run.
"Now that's one of my favorite events," Monroe said. "It's hard and long and tiring. I just tried different techniques."
Cibola track coach Gordon Mosher wasn't surprised that Monroe garnered attention from Division I programs, but said that her senior-season flourish put her under the radar of most top-tier programs.
"Nicolette really came to fruition her senior year and I think we may have missed out on some of those Division I programs that look at athletes as a junior," he said.
Mosher said he expects her to compete at a four-year program after finishing two seasons at Central.
• Green commits to Northeastern Oklahoma
Gila Ridge's Cassie Green signed her letter of intent on May 6 to play volleyball for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, the school her grandfather, Cletus Green, coached men's basketball at for 16 years.
Green is slated as a libero for the Norse, where she'll add depth to the back row.
NEO is located in Miami, Okla., the town where her dad, Arizona Western men's basketball coach Kelly Green, grew up.
"I've been wanting to get back to Oklahoma for years now, probably since my freshman year. That was, kind of, my main goal," Cassie said. "They said they were interested in having me play there and signing. That was kind of an added bonus."
She'll be surrounded by familiar faces in Miami, where most of her close family remains.
Another familiar face will be NEO athletic director and men's basketball coach Dustin Grover, who was an assistant for Kelly Green at AWC.
NEO volleyball coach Eric Iverson said he looked forward to adding Cassie Green to her roster.
"She'll give us some depth on the back row and some valuable passing ability," Iverson said in a press release. "We're going to ask her to run a much faster offense than she's accustomed too."
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Know of any Yuma-area high school athletes who will be playing college athletics? Contact Matt Maxson at 539-6880.
