Several Mount Si High School senior athletes have announced their college athletic plans for the coming fall.

Leading the list is another star from last fall’s Wildcat state tournament volleyball squad. Alisha Larion has signed a scholarship to compete in both volleyball and track at Northwest University in Kirkland.

“I went and practiced with the team,” Larion said. “We have good chemistry so far.”

“I like the school,” the senior added. “It’s a good campus, really pretty over in Kirkland. I’m excited. They have a really good program like ours.”

Larion, who is currently undecided on a major but may study business, chose Northwest over a couple of schools with ex-Wildcat athletes playing for them: Bethany of California (Emily White) and Western Washington (Marissa Hill). Larion becomes the third Wildcat volleyballer in the last couple of weeks to announce her college plans. The others are junior Miranda Pratt, who verbally committed to Idaho, and senior Sine’ Schirmer, who chose Hope International University in southern California. Another senior, Danielle Rehm, is close to deciding where she will play next fall.

With these announcements, Wildcat coach Bonnie Foote will see the list of players graduating and playing collegiately rise significantly; that list currently includes White and Hill, along with Maggie Olson at Central Washington.

Another Wildcat softball player has joined the growing list of Mount Si grads who will be playing softball in college. Wildcat catcher Katie Shaw has decided to play her college ball next year at Pacific Lutheran University. The four-year starter on the Wildcats chose the Lutes, of the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference, over Linfield in Oregon and MSU-Billings.

The large number of Mount Si graduates who go to PLU played into her decision. In that group are several ex-Wildcat athletes, such as women’s soccer player Kali Roestel, baseball players Brandon Sales and Ian Opsal, and basketball player Kyle Clearman.

“I heard from a lot of teachers and students whose older brothers and sisters go there,” Shaw said. “It’s a really good academic school. The people there are really friendly and nice and help you feel welcome, so that was a big factor in the decision.” The catcher plans on majoring in a field where she will be able to work with children.

Shaw joins a growing number of ex-Wildcat softball players playing collegiately, including Kandis Clesson at Idaho State, Amy Trenkamp at Charleston Southern, and Kayla Jayne at Central Washington. That list also is expected to include Katie Brett, at Bellevue Community College, and possibly Kyleen Sweepe as well, although she has not decided her future yet.

Joining Shaw at PLU this fall will be girls’ soccer player Kara Clearman, according to Wildcat soccer coach Darren Brown. Brown also told the Valley Record that a pair of other senior girls players will attempt to walk on at Western Washington: forward Mariah Stevens and defender Katie Woolsey.

Woolsey, who also plans on running track at Western, is looking forward to life in Bellingham.

“I just went up there and it felt like home,” she said. “It felt like a lot of people knew each other, but it also looked like a challenge. I really like challenges and putting myself in difficult situations.”

Woolsey plans on majoring in environmental studies, with an eye on becoming a lawyer specializing in that arena. She chose Western over PLU and Lewis and Clark College in Portland.