Ankeny senior Carter Accola visited the Northern Iowa campus on Monday.
The standout hurdler was impressed with what he saw.
Accola verbally committed to join the UNI men’s track and field program next season.
“I was on the fence between them and South Dakota State,” Accola said. “Just the proximity to my hometown and how invited the coaching staff made me feel really sold me on the place.”
Accola currently ranks second in Class 4A and fifth in the state in the 110 hurdles. He set a school record with a time of 14.40 seconds at the Ruth Marske Invitational on March 27 at Brookings, S.D.
Accola placed fourth in the 110 hurdles at last year’s state meet. He also ran on the fifth-place shuttle hurdle relay, helping the Hawks to a third-place overall finish.
Accola’s teammate, distance runner Levi Hill, previously committed to the Panthers. Former teammate Jacob Baier is a sophomore thrower on the UNI roster.
“I realized UNI is a place where I’m going to be able to accomplish all the dreams I have for the next four years and really grow,” Accola said.