Team WAR senior Kiara Howard will be running at a different level next year, having signed a letter of intent to attend Indiana Tech.

Indiana Tech is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.

Though Howard will be running track there, academics played a big part in her decision. She also had a good impression of the coach.

“They have a great exercise science program,” she said. “Coach Edgar is a good coach; he reminds me of Coach (Justin) Byron, so I know I will have the same intensive training.”

Howard had interest from other schools, as well, and her family helped with the decision. She has family in Chicago, which is only two hours away from Indiana Tech.

“They helped me look at the bigger picture,” Howard said of her family. “Everyone was perfectly fine with the distance, because of the family I have close by the school.”

When Howard visited the school, she felt the energy from the team and immediately felt like it was home.

Howard is coming off an indoor season in which Nansemond River won the 5A state championship. She is rehabbing an injury from indoor season and hopes to be back on the track.