MOSES LAKE — Maverick senior Paige Perkins announced her decision to continue her competitive running career at the next level last week, signing on to run track and cross country at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus next year.

Perkins signed on with SCAD Atlanta surrounded by friends and family Dec. 7 at Moses Lake High School.

“It’s exciting,” Perkins said. “I’m excited to get the (recruiting) process over with so I can move on and focus on the goal of running. I like the team there, so it’s exciting.”

Among the standouts in her recruiting process was the welcoming attitude of her soon-to-be teammates, Perkins said. SCAD Atlanta’s cross country roster from the 2023 season had six runners from all parts of the country, as well as one athlete from Kenya; many of whom run both cross country and track and field.

“Everybody had their individual things while becoming a team,” Perkins said. “They were all inviting and cared about you a lot. With each individual athlete, they all came and talked to me without the coach because they know we want to get a feel for the team.”

Perkins said that while she’s always wanted to compete in collegiate athletics, it was during her junior year that she started to gain interest from college coaches.

“Ever since I was little I’ve always wanted to go to college ã I always thought it would be basketball, that didn’t happen,” Perkins joked. “Sophomore year, coming off an injury, I realized how much I wanted it. I fought through those injuries, I may as well keep going.” 

Nearly 2,500 miles from Moses Lake, Perkins said she’s looking forward to experiencing life in the Peach State.

“I really like Atlanta, the atmosphere is nice and kind of calmer than Seattle, but also bigger,” Perkins said. “It’s hard that’s so far away, but I want to do something new.”

As a senior with the Mavericks this season, Perkins was one of two Moses Lake runners to qualify for the 4A State Cross Country Championships in Pasco back in November. Perkins also received first-team all-league honors on the Columbia Basin Big 9’s cross country list this fall.

“It was stressful, but at the same time it was nice to know people wanted you for your sport,” Perkins said of the recruiting process. 

SCAD Atlanta is a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which has schools in Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia and both North and South Carolina. The NAIA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country National Championships will alternate at host sites in Columbia, Missouri, Tallahassee, Florida and Vancouver through 2030.

“The new places, get to travel more,” Perkins said she’s the most excited about. “It’s a smaller team, so the connections there too. Getting new experiences.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Moses Lake senior Paige Perkins (143) runs uphill during the Moses Lake Invitational at the Gorge on Oct. 12.