Valley running standout to compete for CSU-Pueblo

WASILLA — She was chased by Division I programs, but Allison VanPelt was looking for something different. And VanPelt found exactly what she wanted during a trip to see a former teacher and coach.

VanPelt, a Mat-Su Career and Technical High School senior and Wasilla Warriors running standout, signed her National Letter of Intent Wednesday afternoon, and will attend Colorado State University-Pueblo and will compete for the Division II ThunderWolves cross-country running team.

“Right when we visited for the first time, there was that feeling of home,” VanPelt said as she celebrated with friends and family during a ceremony at Wasilla High. “Kind of like Alaska in a way. Not super crazy, not like a city feeling.”

VanPelt said she was initially in Colorado to see Tim Lundt, a former Mat-Su Borough School District teacher and coach. VanPelt said she visited Colorado State University in Fort Collins, but that was not for her.

“We visited Pueblo. It was really nice,” VanPelt said.

VanPelt knew for sure when she took her official visit to Pueblo.

“I met all of the girls, and they were all really nice, people I knew I was going to get along with,” VanPelt said.

VanPelt drew the interest of a number of Division I programs. The list included Gonzaga, Baylor and Nevada-Reno.

“I didn’t want to go Division I,” VanPelt said.

VanPelt she wanted that family feeling she found in Pueblo.

VanPelt capped her stellar prep running career with a fifth-place finish in the ASAA 4A state championships. She also finished as the Region III runner-up as a senior, and finished in the top 5 of every race during her final year. VanPelt started her running career at Houston High, finishing fourth in regions as a freshman and fourth in state as a sophomore. VanPelt opted to run at Wasilla High as a junior, mainly to be closer Mat-Su Career Tech. Due to ASAA transfer rules, VanPelt was not able to compete at the varsity level in cross-country as a junior. VanPelt competed at the junior varsity level for the Warriors, often posting the top time in meets, varsity or junior varsity. At the end of the season, VanPelt was named a Region III MVP, despite not running varsity. VanPelt said working through that experience makes her most recent accomplishment feel more special. VanPelt said she also learned a lot from the experience.

“When I wasn’t able to run varsity, it makes you step back and realize running is usually not for the victory, it’s more for the love of the sport,” VanPelt said. “Being able to go on to college, not having to worry about that is really awesome.”

Wasilla head coach Leslie Varys said she is proud of how VanPelt approached obstacles during her junior year and the decision of which college to attend.

“She said it perfectly. I’m proud of her for saying that. She said it exactly how I would describe it,” Varys said. “You are going to have new challenges, mental challenges, situational challenges. Not just running, but everything.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.