Greely senior swimming standout Sarah Easterling (joined by her father, Jeff, left, and Greely coach Rob Hale) signs her National Letter of Intent to attend and swim at the University of Arkansas during a ceremony Monday afternoon. Easterling is a reigning Class B state champion (and record holder) in the breaststroke and individual medley and was Greely’s Winter Female Athlete of the Year in 2010 and 2011.

“I always wanted to go (Division I),” said Easterling, who’s undecided on a major, but expresses interest in sports science. “It’s really an exciting day. I went on two other recruiting trips, but Arkansas was definitely my favorite. They’re really good. Last week, they were ranked third out of all D1 swim schools. I’m not going to be the best swimmer. I’ll be in the middle, which is what I wanted. I wanted to go somewhere where I’ll be pushed.”

“(Sarah’s) the best swimmer I’ve had, male or female,” said Hale. “The team is very proud of her. You can tell by the record board that things happen when she gets in the water. You take diving out and she has all but one of the swimming records. Her versatility is what drew colleges. She can do all the strokes. She has a sweet demeanor, but in the pool, she’s a tiger.”


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