ROGERS -- Rogers High's Jake Benninghoff made the last of several big decisions about his near future official when he signed a national letter of intent to run track at Texas Tech at a ceremony Wednesday afternoon in the commons area at the high school.
He chose Texas Tech over Arkansas, but track and field was not his first choice. The 6-foot-3 senior considered playing basketball or football in college, too. He was an all-conference wide receiver in football and the Mounties' leading scorer this season in basketball.
But ultimately the idea of having the chance to compete at the Division I level won out after talking it over with his parents, Bennighoff said.
Benninghoff decided to attend Texas Tech a little more than a week ago, after visiting the Lubbock, Texas, campus over spring break and he was excited to sign the letter of intent in front of friends and family.
"In terms of the athletics there, they are superior to pretty much everybody else in terms of the high jump, especially," Benninghoff said. "I kinda want to go high jump and long jump and pursue both while I'm there. That stuck out. I also want to get out of the area. I'm not from Northwest Arkansas. I love the staff, and I'm excited for it."
He's turned some heads recently, clearing 6 feet, 10 inches in the high jump at the indoor state meet, then going 6-10 3/4 at a national meet in New York indoors. The multisport standout owns the best clearance in the state thus far this season outdoors at 6-8. Benninghoff also owns one of the top long jumps in the state at 22-3.
He's also had near-misses at seven feet both indoors and outdoors this season.
"I thought he was over it," said Rogers High boys track coach Carlton Efurd talking about his most recent outdoor meet. "He's just got to finish the jump. He's just so close. There's no doubt Jake's going to jump high before he gets out of college. He's just getting started."
Sisters Aubre and Halle Gilreath also both signed to run track and cross country at Arkansas Tech, an NCAA Division II school. They also had offers from Pittsburg State, Central Arkansas and North Carolina-Greensboro.
Rogers High girls track and cross country coach Becky Efurd said they have both worked hard in the summer prior to their senior year and showed big improvements.
The duo finished 1-2 in the 7A-West Conference cross country meet, then went 2-3 at the Class 7A state meet for the Lady Mounties. Halle bested her sister both times, but by just two-tenths of a second at the state meet.
"If anybody had told you last year that they would do what they did this year, you ask any of the coaches. Nobody saw it coming," Efurd said. "Nobody saw it coming at that state championship. But we knew how hard they were working. It didn't surprise us."
Aubrey runs the two-mile on the track, while Halle has shown ability to run anything from the 400 meters to the mile.
Sports on 04/13/2017