AOTW: From golf to rugby, 11 West High student-athletes sign with colleges across the country
Some are sticking around their hometowns, while others will venture to the Lower 48
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - In a celebration of years of hard work, 11 West Anchorage High School student-athletes across nine different sports have signed to play at the next level – and they were all together at the gymnasium in front of friends and family to mark the occasion.
While most are going their separate ways, some are sticking together in-state, such as cross-country runners Max Erickson and Marcus Walsted, teaming up with other former Eagles to represent the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“Some buddies of mine that graduated last year went to UAF and they were like, ‘yo, come to UAF,’' Walsted said, referring to Blake Hanley, Rueben Rhodes and Cole Flowers. ”And I was like, ‘UAF sounds cool.’"
Whether joining former teammates or taking a road less traveled out of Alaska, each of these nearly dozen athletes are carving out paths of their own as they gear up for college competition.
Harrison Martyn earned a rather uncommon rugby scholarship to Boise State University by way of Alaska Youth Rugby, taking the sport he was introduced to thousands of miles away, and taking it even further, turning it into an opportunity for an education.
“I used to live in Hong Kong,” Martyn explained. “My dad was a pilot – he was based over there – so I started playing when I was about nine and played it there, moved back here my freshman year and have been playing up here ever since.”
Although there are no high school rugby teams in the state, the sport has still produced one of the state’s greatest athletes, including Alaska Sports Hall of Famer and Olympic medalist Alev Kelter.
”It’s really great for Alaska rugby for her to go and win an Olympic medal," Martyn added. “I think its really cool to see someone from Alaska do that, and think it inspires a lot of rugby players here.”
| Name | School | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Beckett Stolp | Portland State University | Track & Field |
| Henry Carr | Willamette University | Golf |
| Liam Hase | Bismarck State College | Wrestling |
| Max Erickson | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Cross Country Running |
| Marcus Walsted | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Cross Country Running |
| Dylan Sanders | Gustavus Adolphus College | Football |
| Noah Robinson | Pacific Lutheran University | Soccer |
| Merridy Littell | Michigan Tech University | Cross Country Skiing |
| Harrison Martyn | Boise State University | Rugby |
| Greta Bochenek | Colorado Mesa University | Cross Country Skiing |
| Aniah Harris | Southwestern Oregon CC | Basketball |
Meanwhile, Henry Carr fell in love with his sport at what many refer to as “The Most Magical Place on Earth.”
“When I was eight years old, I was at Disney World, and on a par 3, I hit a hole in one,” Carr said, “and that’s where it all brewed. I was like ‘I love this game.’ The height of my life right there, peaked.”
Carr is on par to team up with his brother Jack on Willamette University’s golf team. Jack signed to the same school in the same gym two years ago.
“He’s my biggest inspiration,” Carr said of his older brother. “When he goes out on the course, he motivates me to get up out of bed and try to be better than him. It’s always chasing him, my goal is to beat him and get there, so he’s always a motivation there.”
Beyond succeeding in their sport at the next level, these student-athletes have dreams that you could say are literally out of this world. For example, future Michigan Tech skier Merridy Littell hopes to one day become an astrophysicist.
“I want to go into space law to be able to bring space exploration and space travel to less economically developed countries, and help them develop their space programs by having advocates in the international legal system,” Littell said.
See a spelling or grammatical error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
