FAYETTEVILLE -- It's not often an athlete from Arkansas receives an offer from an Ivy League school like Princeton, an academic powerhouse.
But a highly decorated athlete like Camren Fischer doesn't come along too often in the state.
Fischer signed with Princeton for cross country and track and field Wednesday during a ceremony at Bulldog Arena in Fayetteville. He was joined at the tables by Fletcher McSpadden, a Fayetteville golfer who signed with Missouri Southern State University, and Grace Coleman, a tennis player who signed with Erskine College in South Carolina.
Fischer had offers from many of the top cross country and track and field programs in the country, including the University of Arkansas. But he decided on Princeton after he learned he had been accepted to the school during the Christmas break.
"It was a really tough decision to turn down Arkansas," Fischer said. "I talked to my parents about it and I prayed and I was ecstatic when I learned I had been accepted to Princeton. It was a cool [Christmas] gift, I guess you could say. I'm still ecstatic about it."
Fischer is one of the most dominant distance runners in Arkansas high school history. He is the first Arkansas athlete to be selected the state's Gatorade Cross County and Boys Track Athlete of the Year in the same calendar season. He won the boys Class 6A state championship in a time of 16.19.9 after claiming his second consecutive Chile Pepper Festival meet on a muddy course last October. He holds nearly every school record at Fayetteville and he has qualified for national meets the past two years.
"Camren is an incredible young man," Fayetteville coach Michelle Fyfe said. "He is the true definition of student-athlete by taking AP classes and challenging himself in the classroom as well as on the track. He is a leader by example and his work ethic is unparalleled."
Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. But Fischer will receive financial aid to attend Princeton, which won conference and regional championships before placing 22nd during the NCAA Cross Country championships at Madison, Wis., last November.
"Challenges can only make a person better," said Fischer, who'll likely major in economics and finance at Princeton. "You learn from challenges and experiences and attending Princeton will set me up for a great life after college."
Coleman is a South Carolina native who'll return home after signing with Erskine College in Due West, S.C. She swept conference, state and overall championships in tennis last year with her partner, Yasmine Humbert.
"Grace is an amazing leader," Fayetteville tennis coach Darin Phelan said. "She led the team not by her words, but by her actions."
McSpadden will head to Joplin, Mo., after receiving a late offer to sign with Missouri Southern. He is an all-state performer who was co-medalist at the conference meet in Cabot last fall.
"Missouri Southern came in late with an offer," McSpadden said. "I really like their coach and the tournaments they're going to be playing in. Plus, the school is close to home."
Sports on 02/07/2019