FREDERICK, Md. --- Anna Willson honed so many of her talents during the high school years she spent between Colorado and Maryland. 

Willson specializes in the long jump, triple jump and hurdles as an athlete. But she's also played in an award-winning marching band at Air Academy and won a State of Maryland Literacy Association competition for her poetry. 

The Track & Field-commit's achievements have already enabled her to travel around Southern California as part of a Colorado state-champion marching band, including appearances at Disneyland and the 2018 Rose Parade. And she hopes to earn a position as a Disneyland cast member while she studies at Biola and embraces the new community she belongs to. 

"When I first visited Biola, it felt like home and that's how I knew I had to come here," said Willson. "I'm excited to deepen my relationship with God and make life-long friendships on the Biola Track & Field team."

Willson's high school track career started off victoriously as she was part of an Air Academy girls track team that won a 4A State Championship and a Pikes Peak Athletic Conference Championship her freshman year. Then she won the triple jump in the PPAC Meet the next season before adding an additional 1' 4.5" to that winning effort two weeks later for a season best. 

That season best still stands in the top-five of the Air Academy record for the triple jump as curated by athletic.net. Willson also holds the Kadets' No. 2 mark in the long jump after entering that list during her 2017 freshman season. 

As she transitioned to Maryland for competition with the Oakdale Bears, Willson set new personal bests during her 2019 outdoor schedule and competed at the MPSSAA Regional level in three events. Winning the 300m hurdles and the triple jump at the same Walkerville HS meet helped her work her way into top form in late April. Then she competed in the long jump and triple jump at the MPSSAA 2A State Championship after landing on the podium in both events at the West Regional meet. 

Willson plans to major in public relations at Biola and, as aforementioned, will bring great writing skills to her major. She earned membership into the National English Honors Society and won the school, county and state Young Authors' contest for her poem "Ode to Hamlet".

More information on the rest of the student-athletes that will join Anna Willson at Biola in 2020-21 can be found on the Committed Athletes page.