A pair of fleet-footed Spanish Springs Cougars signed their national letters of intent Tuesday. Sullivan Stevens and Justus Mora made their collegiate plans official at the local school by announcing their intentions to compete beyond their prep careers.

Stevens signed to run track at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore. He is set to join 2009 local graduates Zach Comphel of Reed and Cody Clifford of SSHS at Southern Oregon.

“I’ve always wanted to go to the University of Oregon. That was my dream school,” Stevens said. “That didn’t happen and this opportunity presented itself. I talked to their coach a couple weeks ago and he said we should get started on this. He offered me a scholarship and that was good enough for me.”

Stevens had a standout spring track season for Spanish Springs. He was not beaten by an opponent from Nevada. The Cougars senior won the 100-meter and 300m hurdles at the Nevada 4A State Track and Field Championships two weeks ago. He became the first two-event state champion in the nine-year history of SSHS.

“I’m super excited. I know college will be a challenge and I want that. I want to go to nationals and win there and maybe someday go the Olympics,” he said.

Stevens’ Spanish Springs track teammate Justus Mora also signed a letter of intent Tuesday. The cat-quick student-athlete will be attending Cal-State Bakersfield when the new school year kicks off in the fall.

“I chose there primarily because of the scholarship they offered me, but also the more I looked into it, the more I found it had the criteria I was looking for,” Mora said. “It’s relatively close to home being on the West Coast and it has the foreign language programs.”

Mora finished fifth in the 100m and sixth in the 200m at the recent 4A track meet. He plans to run the same events and possibly the 400m as well at CSU Bakersfield.

“I’m definitely excited,” Mora said. “I’m looking forward to the renewed competition. It’s not going to be the high school level. It’s the real deal.”