Record eight Rainier seniors sign offers of athletic financial aid

A record eight Rainier senior student athletes gathered in the high school gym Tuesday, May 20, to sign their written offers of financial aid — previously known as national letters of intent (NLI) for Division I and II programs.
Surrounded by family, coaches, teachers and friends, Keira Anderson, Angelica Askey, Janess Blackburn, Madison Ingram, Ella Marvin, Josh Meldrum, Zander Peck and Brooklynn Swenson all formalized their decisions to continue their athletic careers in college.

While the NLI program was eliminated for Division I and II schools in October 2024, Division III athletes were not previously bound to the same agreements. Instead, D-III athletes sign a non-binding letter of intent or celebratory form from the specific institution they are attending.

Before the signing, Athletic Director Rob Henry highlighted the fact that each of the signees was a multi-sport athlete at Rainier.

“And you can see the way that it helped build athleticism as well as character and it’s been displayed here,” Henry said. “So think about that for the youth out there that are thinking about wanting to go to the next level. Definitely want to invest yourself in multiple sports if possible.”

First to sign was Zander Peck, who will attend St. Martin’s University in Lacey as a track and field athlete. Peck, who placed third in state competition this year as a wrestler, is currently ranked second in Class 2B in the javelin.

“I just want to say thank you for the past four years and being able to come out here and get to compete in all these great sports and all the memories I’ve gotten to make, and I hope that some of you can maybe one day make memories like I have,” Peck said after signing his letter.

Fellow track athlete Josh Meldrum will be attending Linfield University in Oregon. Meldrum recently broke the school record in the long jump, overtaking the top spot from his cousin Chase MacFarland. Meldrum won the 2B 100-meter state championship in 2024.

Teammate guards Angelica Askey and Brooklynn Swenson both signed to play basketball at Lower Columbia College in Longview.

Askey was named the game MVP of the Southwest Washington Girls Senior All-Star Game at Centralia College in March.

Henry said it was fantastic that Swenson will still be able to pursue her dream after suffering a ruptured Achilles during Rainier’s district title basketball game in February.

Janess Blackburn will be joining Peck at St. Martin’s on a track and field scholarship. Blackburn is the school record holder in the discus — a mark she’s broken three times this year — and is currently ranked first in Class 2B. A longtime basketball and volleyball player, Blackburn is in her second season as a track and field athlete at Rainier.

Madison Ingram will join her older brother, Asher Ingram, at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho, where she will compete in both cross country and track.

Ingram, who currently sits fifth in both the 800 and 1,600 in Class 2B, told the Nisqually Valley News that she only recently made the decision to pursue long distance running in college, but that she’s looking forward to being on a team with her brother again.

“It just seems like a great atmosphere there, and I’m excited to continue athletics,” Ingram added. “I wasn’t planning on it, but the more I thought about it, I just couldn’t let it go, and I just want to keep pursuing what I love the most and just keep running.”

Ella Marvin signed with Concordia University Irvine, where she will compete in track and field. The two-time pole vault state champion currently sits No. 2 in Class 2B. After signing, Marvin took a moment to thank her coaches, saying she couldn’t have gotten to this point without them.

The final signee of the day was Keira Anderson, who will play fastpitch softball at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The catcher and cleanup slugger was recently selected Co-MVP of the Central 2B League.

“It’s just a remarkable class,” Henry told the Nisqually Valley News after the signing.

Henry noted the time and work the seniors have put in since they were in elementary school, while also commending the support their parents have given them throughout their athletic journeys. According to Henry, most of the athletes have been in the school district since kindergarten.

Although none of the seniors received full athletic scholarships, many received a combination of athletic and academic scholarships.

“It’s a class that’s going to be missed,” Henry said.