Nansemond River High School’s track and field senior Syaira Richardson will take her talents to Ohio State University next school year.

Richardson let the world know her choice Wednesday during a ceremony in the Nansemond River cafeteria. Her other four choices were Florida State University, University of Georgia, Louisiana State and the University of Florida, but she ultimately decided on OSU.

“The whole recruiting process was a fun yet stressful experience,” Richardson said. “I learned a lot about different schools and the pros and cons of each campus. It wasn’t hard to determine where I felt most comfortable and what felt like home.”

Her parents played a significant role in her recruiting process, she said. After her visit to Ohio to visit the campus and program, she knew that was the school she wanted to attend. Richardson plans to major in biology.

“I honestly knew it was home when I visited there because of the connection I had with the coach and team,” she said. “Their educational program is the perfect fit for me. I liked that school had more to offer than just track.”

Up to this point in her career, Richardson has won states her sophomore and junior years in the 400-meter dash. This summer, she made a world junior team and was able to represent the USA in Poland, where she ran on the 4×400 meter relay team that brought home a gold medal. Last year, she was a part of four national winning relays, one for indoor track and three for outdoor. Richardson also broke a Virginia state 17-year standing record in the 400-meter, with a time of  53.38.

Richardson said she is gearing up for her final high school season and looking forward to the challenges ahead.