Multiple national record holder Sammy Watson signs with Texas A&M

Multiple national record holder Sammy Watson of New York signed a national letter of intent with the Texas A&M track and field program on Thursday and will join the Aggies in the 2017 fall semester.
 
The 17-year-old Watson, who attends high school at Rush-Henrietta in Henrietta, New York, set national high school indoor records in the 600m (1:27.13), 800m (2:01.78), and 1,000m (2:40.72) this season. She was also part of the Rush-Henrietta sprint medley relay that broke an indoor national record with a 3:52.68 that eclipsed the previous record of 3:53.17 set in 2001 by Long Beach Wilson.
 
"I think we're a great fit for her," said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "I also think she's probably the finest high school recruit in the country this year and maybe in a number of years. Her commitment is what stands out. She just doesn't want to be good, she wants to be great.
 
After taking official visits to LSU, Clemson, USC and Arkansas, Watson made her decision to join the Aggies.
 
"It has been a long process, very long," noted Watson in an interview with the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. "Every decision I made had me worried and thinking about the alternatives. The more I focused on one school and realized how good a spot they could put me in I realized I'd be okay.
 
"The more I thought about it the more excited and relieved I got, knowing that I'm going to such a prestigious school and getting a good education as well as being on a strong team."
 
International competition for Watson has included winning World Youth (2015) and World Junior (2016) 800m titles as a member of the United States team. She also ran on the 4x400 relay that claimed gold in the World Junior meet.
 
Watson was 15 when she claimed the World Youth 800m title in 2:03.54. The Youth level includes ages 17 and under. The following year, as a 16-year-old, she won the World Junior 800m title in 2:04.52 after running a then career best of 2:02.91 at the U.S. Junior Championships. The Junior level competition includes ages 19 and under.
 
In February, Watson placed third in the 600m at the Armory Track Invitational in New York. Racing against a professional field, Watson finished third in 1:27.13 to better the record of 1:28.67 she set in January. During the Millrose Games that same month, Watson finished sixth in the 800m with a time of 2:01.78, which broke the national indoor record of 2:01.8 set by Mary Decker in 1974.
 
Competing at the USATF Indoor Championships in March, Watson bettered the previous 1,000m record of 2:43.43 set in 2005 by Sarah Bowman with a prelim time of 2:43.18 and then lowered it to 2:40.72 in the final where she placed fourth among field of professional athletes.
 
Another event for Watson during the indoor season included the 500m (1:11.75), where she ranks third on the all-time high school indoor list. Watson's range of events extends from 400m to the mile.
 
Watson will join a Texas A&M program that has set four collegiate records over the past two seasons in the 800m and sprint medley relays. Last June, Donavan Brazier won the NCAA 800m title in 1:43.55 to break the collegiate and U.S. junior record. In February of this season sophomore Jazmine Fray, who also went to high school in New York, broke the collegiate indoor 800m record with a 2:00.69 clocking.
 
During the SEC Relays held in Baton Rouge last weekend, the Aggies set collegiate records in the sprint medley relays, which includes an 800m anchor leg, with times of 3:39.04 for the women and 3:11.94 for the men.