PLATTSMOUTH - Plattsmouth senior Jillanna Scanlan fulfilled a lifelong dream this week when she became a member of the University of Nebraska track program.
Scanlan made her scholarship offer from UNL official Wednesday afternoon when she signed a national letter of intent at Plattsmouth High School. Scanlan, who holds the school record in the high jump and earned medals in two events at last year's state track meet, said she was excited about the opportunity to compete at UNL.
"I've wanted to go to Nebraska ever since I was a little kid growing up," Scanlan said. "When they offered me a chance to be on the track team I knew that was the way to go."
Scanlan received her first letter from the Huskers after she finished second in the high jump at the state track meet during her sophomore year. Nebraska's interest grew even more after she finished third in last year's high jump event during a dramatic jump-off with Waverly's Anne Martin and Central City's Alexa Malm. Scanlan cleared 5-7 to break her own school record of 5-6 and she nearly cleared 5-8 several times during the afternoon's performance. She also had a season-best triple jump effort of 35-10 1/2 to place sixth in the state event.
Scanlan said she was sold on Nebraska's athletic and academic programs during an official visit to Lincoln. A future business major, Scanlan said the coaches told her they wanted her to have a positive experience on both the academic and athletic sides of things at UNL.
"The coaches are great," Scanlan said. "They're easy to talk to and you can tell they care about their athletes. When I made my official visit there and talked with them I knew that Nebraska would be a good place to go to."
Scanlan, who finished in the top three in the high jump, long jump and triple jump at last year's Eastern Midlands Conference track meet, has also earned All-EMC honors in volleyball and basketball at Plattsmouth. She said she chose to pursue track in college because of the opportunities to set and meet challenging goals such as jumping longer distances and clearing taller heights.
She said it was also a relief to know what college she will be at when classes and practices start this fall.
"It feels really good," Scanlan said with a smile. "Now I can finally relax."
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