It was a big day last Wednesday, Feb. 4, for high school seniors all over the United States , as many of them signed scholarship letters of intent to attend colleges and play sports.

For seven student-athletes at Mount Si High School, the day was very special, as they signed on the dotted line and earned themselves a chance to play sports and continue their educations at the college level.

Football players Alex Hiebert, Michael Nelson and Tyson Riley, soccer players Jordyn Wilson and Nikki Stanton, basketball player Caitie Richards and volleyball player Miranda Pratt all made it official, as they signed their letters during a ceremony at Mount Si.

Richards and Hiebert will play for Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif.; Nelson and Riley are going to Central Washington University in Ellensburg; Pratt goes to the University of Idaho; Stanton will play with Fairfield University in Connecticut, and Wilson signed with Northwest University in Kirkland.

Jordyn Wilson liked the fit Northwest offered.

“I already know their coach and their program, and the team,” she said. “I met them and I just bonded really well with them. I like the whole atmosphere of Northwest, and I really like Kirkland, so it was just a really good fit for me.”

Jordyn plans on majoring in nursing. Her mother Cindy, who also is a longtime educator at the high school, said the process for Jordyn was a long one.

“We started about two years ago,creating a resume and making contact with coaches throughout the state,” Cindy Wilson said. “We made a video and sent the video out of her soccer highlights and we heard back from several coaches.” Colleges that contacted them included Whitman, Eastern Washington and Pacifc Lutheran University — all schools that have had Mount Si graduates play for their women’s soccer teams in recent years.

Richards said the chance to play immediately was key.

“The fact that I’ll be able to step in and play right away is the big thing,” she said. “I like the atmosphere; it’s a lot like the Valley.”

Richards was courted by several Big Sky Division I schools, along with Navy, and expects to major in biology with a minor in history.

Cindy Wilson had some advice for local parents who will be going through this process with their children, down the road.

“Start early,” she said. “By the time they’re sophomores, you should start thinking about it.”

Parents should research schools, visit, and talk to coaches and players.

“It’s really quite revealing,” Wilson said. “The players really give you a lot of insight.” She said parents need to educate themselves about the various divisions of the NCAA and NAIA conferences and their structures, because Division III NCAA schools operate differently than other schools.

Jordyn Wilson will have a local teammate on the Eagles team. Snoqualmie’s Chelsea Miller has played for Northwest the last two seasons and has seen playing time with the Eagles.

In addition to the seven who signed on the dotted line last week, there are three Mount Si football players expected to put their names on paper in coming weeks. This group includes star running back Sean Snead, lineman Ryan Ransavage, and Snead’s fellow running back Brandon Smith.

Wilson says that speaks volumes not only about the strength of the high school athletic program, but also the strength of its academics.

“This is just an incredible place where kids are offered up just a multitude of opportunities for success, whether it be academics or clubs or sports,” she said.

Mount Si’s coaches and staff, Wilson added, help student athletes feel that the sky is the limit.