Albertsen signs with Northwest Missouri State

 HARLAN -- When Abi Albertsen ultimately decided that college athletics was part of her future, the Harlan Community senior did not mess around.
 About a month after capping a successful high school cross country career at the state meet in Fort Dodge, Albertsen signed a national letter of intent last Wednesday, Dec. 2, to join the cross country and track programs at NCAA Division II Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville.
 The daughter of Matt and Jade Albertsen, Harlan, Abi plans to major in graphic design at Northwest with a possible double-minor in digital communications and marketing.
 She was recently named Academic All-State by the IATC and helped the Cyclone girls place seventh in Class 3A at the State Cross Country Championships - her second career state meet.
 Albertsen says choosing NWMSU “was a pretty recent development” in her future plans, with the crossroads occurring after the October 30 state meet.
 “For a long time I didn’t even know that I was going to want to run in college. I was pretty undecided until like a month ago,” she said.
 “Just finishing that last state race and realizing that it was going to be my last, I just decided I didn’t want that at all no matter what. I was already kind of looking at Northwest and I just made it happen."
 HCHS cross country coach Doug Renkly admitted he was a little bit surprised when Albertsen informed him last month that she was signing with Northwest, but only because she had previously expressed doubt that she would run at the next level.
 “We even talked about it on the way up to the state meet and she said, ‘No, I think I’m going to be done after this,’ and I respect that,” Renkly said.
 “A lot of times I talk kids out of running in college. It takes a special kind of person to do that, and I think she is that special person. She’s a long way from hitting her peak and she’s in for a lot of changes and a lot of excitement and I hope she does well.”
 Albertsen was full-time varsity runner as a junior and senior, capped by this year’s eight top-15 finishes, five top 10’s and a second-place finish at Shenandoah. Albertsen placed 13th at the Hawkeye Ten Conference Meet, 11th at the 3A state qualifying meet and 90th out of 131 state meet participants. She finished 70th at state as a junior.