Isabel Squires didn’t have the luxury of waiting a while to pick up a college.
A junior midfielder on the Ankeny girls’ soccer team, Squires discovered early this year that some schools weren’t going to wait for her to make a decision.
“I had one college give me a pretty early offer, so it definitely sped up the recruiting process over the past couple months,” said Squires.
Squires took a visit to North Dakota State on Feb. 10, but did not get an offer from the Bison right away. After finally getting an offer, Squires verbally committed to NDSU on Wednesday.
“It was a very difficult process, mainly because I had a couple other offer deadlines that popped up before NDSU was able to do their last evaluation on me,” Squires said. “But it was never a hard decision to choose NDSU! Even before I visited NDSU, I just felt like it was the right place and it validated everything I had been thinking once I got on campus!”
Squires said she enjoyed everything about her trip to Fargo last month.
“From the moment I stepped on campus, it just felt like the place God was calling me to, even before I had met coach Mike (Regan) and (associate head) coach Chris (Higgins) and even before I learned about what NDSU has to offer their athletes!” Squires said. “Everything down to my campus tour guide was perfect for me! It felt like home! The visit was a lot packed into a couple days, but I honestly left NDSU with a piece of my heart still there!
“I didn’t come home with an offer because they wanted to see me play one more time. They were aware of my offer deadlines and did whatever they could to come see me play which I am so thankful for! I got my official offer, and it right away slotted itself ahead of all the other schools I was looking at,” she added.
Squires scored four goals and had one assist as a sophomore, when she helped the Hawkettes to an 11-3-3 record and an appearance in the Class 3A state tournament. She was named to the CIML Conference second team.
Squires will now have to wait until the fall of 2027 to begin her collegiate career.
“I knew right away and my parents were so supportive of my decision, and I just feel so blessed by this opportunity I have been given!” she said. “The work has just begun, and I am so excited to see what God has in store for me at NDSU!”