Area track duo headed to Division I
By ADAM PRUIETT
adamp@nwfdailynews.com
Niceville's Ashley Calhoun tries to cover long distances in a short time, while Navarre's Joey Torres wants to put as much distance as possible between himself and the discus.
Both the Eagles' senior and the Raiders' upperclassman have spent their prep tenures accomplishing their tasks, and they've been rewarded for it with an opportunity to extend their athletic careers at the Division I level.
Calhoun has signed to run cross country and track at Nicholls State, while Torres will hurl the discus for South Alabama.
Calhoun, who is a four-year varsity letterman on both the Niceville cross country and track squads, will be busy at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La. She'll run cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring and summer.
"I kind of slack off when I don't have practice, so it will keep me going," joked Calhoun, who helped the Eagles to three fourth-place finishes at state in cross country.
Calhoun went through an orientation at Nicholls State on Wednesday and enjoys the "close-knit campus and community involvement."
"It's nice and small and has a good running team and a good running program," Calhoun said. "I wanted a small place where I could get to know everybody and have a nice, friendly feeling."
Torres, also a standout linebacker at Navarre, had football offers from Mississippi College and Culver-Stockton College before deciding to sign with South Alabama for track. A strong medical program was important to Torres, and he said South Alabama had the best of the bunch, so track was the best option for him.
"South Alabama had what I was looking for academically, and it also had what I was looking for in track," said Torres, a two-time Daily News track athlete of the year who captured a state title in the discus last season and finished second as a sophomore.
While his focus is on track, Torres hasn't ruled out the possibility of playing football for the startup South Alabama team. He was a first-team All-Area selection at linebacker during a standout senior campaign.
"I'm not going to say no to it, but I don't know (right now)," Torres said.
