Arig Tong fell one spot short of qualifying for the Girls Track and Field State Finals when she finished fourth in the 1,600 meters in Tuesday’s Shelbyville Regional.
But on Wednesday, Tong’s spirits were high. The Columbus North senior signed a national letter-of-intent to run cross-country and track at Hanover College.
“Although (Tuesday) meant the end of my high school career, I feel like it’s going to be the beginning of my college career,” Tong said. “So I’ll just work hard at that.”
Tong was one of two Bull Dogs to participate in a signing ceremony on Wednesday. Senior Gabe Hutton is headed to Anderson to play football.
The 6-foot-1, 270-pound Hutton was a starting guard for a North team that went 9-2. Hutton, who may major in business management, also considered Thomas More.
“I wasn’t sure on exactly where I was going, so I was visiting a few schools, and when I got to Anderson, it just kind of felt like home for me,” Hutton said. “The coaches were very welcoming, and the program is excellent.”
Tong, who also finished fourth in the 1,600 in last year’s track regional, helped the Bull Dogs reach the state finals as a team in cross-country each of her four seasons, including a third-place team finish her freshman year.
Tong plans to major in biology and minor in Spanish. She turned down full ride from Division-I IPFW to attend Division III Hanover.
“I decided that Hanover would give me a better education,” Tong said. “We visited, and it was just a really pretty campus and a really small environment, so I felt like I’d be able to have a personal bond with the teachers and that I’d be able to go up to them and ask them for help if I needed to and that I wouldn’t just be a number in the crowd and that I’d be able to learn better.”
