College recruitment season is coming to a close for the class of ‘23 high school athletes across the nation. Come graduation, PHS will boast two collegiate athletic signees.

Seniors Hannah Sears and Stetson Davis have officially signed and committed to their respective collegiate institutions with athletic intentions.

Sears will be attending Hastings College, a private Presbyterian college, in Hastings, Nebraska. In the fall, she will become an official member of the Hastings Broncos shooting team.

“I told the Hastings coach I would be enrolling at the school,” Sears said. “He asked me if I would like to sign with the team, and I immediately agreed. Signing guaranteed my spot on the team next fall, and I received a bonus in my scholarship for signing.”

Sears has been an avid shooter for nearly eight years now after a friend of hers convinced her to join the local Polestar team. And her excitement was unparalleled when she learned about collegiate shooting teams.

“I was especially excited when I learned you could shoot at the collegiate level,” Sears said. “That’s been my goal for the past four years.”

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Photo Courtesy of Seth Romsa

Senior Stetson Davis celebrates after he is named the 2023 Wyoming 3A 220lb State Champion. Davis will continue his wrestling career at Sioux Falls University.

Hastings College runs in the Sears family, as both of her parents received degrees from the institution, so Hannah has always been familiar with the idea of attending the Nebraska school.

“After I visited and spent some time there, the town and campus really began to feel like home,” Sears said.

Aside from competing on the shooting team and performing in the bands, Sears plans to major in Wildlife Biology.

After an impressive senior season and a state title, Davis has committed to Sioux Falls University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“I liked the city aspect of it,” Davis said. “And then a big part of it for me on the wrestling side of things is that their coach is a bigger guy. I plan on wrestling 197 so I wanted a coach that was more my size.”

However, Davis will not begin his freshman season on schedule.

Grey shirting is an uncommon term in the world of collegiate athletics. It means that a freshman will postpone enrolling in any classes for what would be considered their first term; this allows student-athletes to start school late and retain that term of eligibility.

Along with his commitment to the Sioux Falls Cougars, Davis has enlisted in the National Guard with the intent of exchanging his service for financial assistance. Because of this, Davis will not be able to attend his first term in Sioux Falls.

For PHS student-athletes interested in pursuing an athletic career after high school, Davis stressed the importance of creating a name for themselves outside of the school team.

“You have to do stuff outside of high school,” Davis said. “It’s hard to get seen by schools as a kid out of Wyoming, even if you’re a champ. So if you want to be seen by those schools, you have to put your name out there.”

Sears, Davis and the rest of the senior class of 2023 will be recognized for their accomplishments at the Senior Banquet, which will be held on May 15 at 6:30 pm in the PHS auditorium.