Outlaws moving on to college sports

Last updated 6/14/2016 at Noon

Charlie Kanzig

Allie Spear signs with Concordia University as her parents, Rob and Samra Spear, and Sisters High School Athletic Director Tim Roth look on.

The Sisters High School class of 2016 includes at least eight athletes who intend to join college teams next year to continue their careers.

Among girls, Michaela Miller and Hannah Ceciliani will be playing soccer. Miller has signed on with the NCAA Division II Lancers of California Baptist University located in Riverside, California; while Ceciliani will be suiting up for Southern Oregon University, which competes at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level.

Allie Spear signed a letter of intent last month to play volleyball as an outside hitter and libero for Concordia University in Portland. In a press release by Concordia announcing the spring signing of three players including Spear, Coach Melanie Hambelton said, "I am so excited to have the opportunity to coach Allie in the next four years. She is a player anyone would love to coach because of the way she approaches the game of volleyball. She is highly competitive, tenacious and has a passion for the game of volleyball."

Concordia competes at the NCAA Division II level.

Macadia Calavan plans to run track for the George Fox Bruins in Newberg after her successful career in cross-country and track for the Outlaws.

On the boys' side, a pair of football players are looking to continue their careers in the gridiron at Linfield including Logan Schutte and Chance Halley. The Wildcats have a long tradition of excellence and attract a lot of Oregon prep players into their program.

Colton Mannhalter and Jadon Bachtold, who played on two state championship soccer teams while at Sisters High School, will be on the rosters at Cal State Stanislaus and Whitman College respectively. The Stanislaus Warriors compete at the Division II level while Whitman belongs to the NCAA Division III.

Seth Larson will be testing himself athletically at Corban University in Salem, where he intends to take up the decathlon for the track and field team.

Sisters High School Athletic Director Tim Roth, a collegiate swimmer himself, is pleased to see so many Outlaws continuing to compete at the next level.

"It's pretty cool when kids love their sport and get to continue on in college," he said. "We wish them all the greatest success."