Bridgeport High School standout track and field athlete Alahna Sparks finalized her plans to compete at the next level on Tuesday as she signed her letter of intent with West Virginia Wesleyan.
 
The signing ceremony took place at BHS with a crowd of family, friends, teammates and coaches.
 
"I really like track and field, I love throwing so that's the main reason I wanted to go to that school," Sparks said. "They have a really good track program and I know a lot of people on the team so it just felt familiar and safe."
 
Sparks, who has a personal record throw 26-07 in the shot put and 78-07 in the discus, is the second BHS thrower to sign with Wesleyan this year, joining Bear Metheney.
 
She also competes for a coaching staff that has strong Wesleyan ties as head coaches Grant and Ali Burton were standouts with the Bobcats. Grant as well as current BHS throws coach Nina Victorin also coached at Wesleyan.
 
"They actually didn't know I was going to do college sports, they didn't know I wanted to throw in college, so I didn't get to have conversations about Wesleyan, Sparks said. "But because they are such good coaches, they have greatly prepared me for it. They've been really good to be around. They prioritize people taking the sport seriously."
 
While at Wesleyan, Sparks plans to major in nursing with a specific goal in mind beyond a bachelor's degree.
 
"I really want to get my Master so I can be a midwife, so right now I will be focusing on nursing at Wesleyan," Sparks said. "They also have a really good nursing program. I really like helping people so that's the job for me, especially with midwife for me, that's my go-to thing. I know a lot about helping women and girls, so I think that would be a really interesting career for me."