Imagine going into your senior year of high school knowing where you’re going to college.

For some senior student athletes, they have known where they’re going to school for over a year.

Senior wrestling state champion Noah Surtin committed to the University of Missouri on Oct. 21 of his junior year.

“(Being committed going into senior year) feels great,” Surtin said. “Having all the stress of trying to impress colleges and going on visits out of the way, I can just go out and focus on my wrestling and execution.”

Last year’s varsity soccer caption senior Sarah Kraus agrees. She committed to Bellarmine University last February.

“Once I committed, a great weight was lifted off of my shoulders,” Kraus said. “I’ve been college searching since eighth grade, so it was an amazing feeling to see my hard work pay off once I received my offer.”

Picking a school for any student is difficult; however, for student athletes, they have to take into account their future studies, social life and high athletic commitments.

“I picked Bellarmine because it was great fit for me academically and athletically,” Kraus said. “At Bellarmine, I’ll be able to focus on soccer and still have the freedom to be serious about my school work as well.”

Another varsity soccer player, senior Emma Hensley, committed to Missouri State University at the end of her junior year. She agrees with Kraus, saying that soccer was just a small piece of the puzzle when it came to picking a school.

“It wasn’t too hard to pick MSU, it just took a lot of thought. It wasn’t just about soccer, it was about my whole future,” Hensley said. “It was a little overwhelming, making such a big decision, but overall I’m super glad I did and can’t wait to attend next fall.”

Surtin, the earliest commit of the senior class, said committing so early was a big decision.

“In a way it was hard to pick Mizzou, but for the most part it was not,” Surtin said. “I knew that no matter where I went I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else over Mizzou.”