Nansemond River High School senior Casey Williams on Monday signed her National Letter of Intent to run for Longwood University.

The senior will run cross country and track for the team. When she visited Longwood, she knew that could be a place for her to excel.

“I really liked the atmosphere of the college and the hometown feeling at Farmville,” she said.

The recruiting process was fun for Williams. She loved the team and the coach and said they were all very welcoming to her when she visited. Williams was accepted to the school back in August, and she later was accepted into its honors program. She plans to major in business management.

Williams’ mother is an alumna of Longwood, so she played a major role in helping the senior decide on her future. Her father and brother have always been supportive of her decisions. In her first year, she wants to set personal records and work hard. There is one thing Williams keeps in mind every time she runs long distance.

“Everything I do, even when it’s tough, is all going to pay off,” she said.

In her four years of cross country at Nansemond River, Williams has been a three-time captain. She has qualified for the state championship meets her sophomore and junior years. For three consecutive years, she has been the team’s most valuable runner. She has broken the school record for a 5K run with a time of 20:42.

In indoor track, she was a part of a third-place 4×800 team her junior year. She is a two-time 5A indoor state champion. Williams owns the school records for the 1600, 3200 and 4×800 events for indoor and outdoor. She has also been a part of three 5A outdoor state championship teams.