Gavin Nelson always knew his destination.

He might have changed routes, but he arrived where he always hoped to be.

And now the Northwestern senior is setting his GPS for West Long Branch, New Jersey, where he will compete for the Monmouth University track and field team.

“Decided after my sophomore year,” Nelson said of his decision to pursue a college career in a different sport than he originally planned. “That was the first year I made it to states, that was more just going out and realizing that I might have a better chance of competing at a higher level with track than I did with basketball.

“Ever since I was little I always wanted to go Division 1. When I made it to states [in 2023] I really thought about it and my mom and I made the decision that doing track would be the best for me in college.”

Nelson was one of 19 Tiger athletes who announced their college athletic intentions last month at a college commitment ceremony at Northwestern Lehigh High School.

Nelson chose Monmouth after also considering Lehigh, Lafayette, Army, Navy and Rhode Island. He liked the campus, the Hawks’ coaching staff and the school’s proximity less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean.

“I loved it the first moment I walked on campus,” Nelson said. “The biggest thing I considered was I liked having everything on the same campus.

“I didn’t want to be too far away from home, but I also wanted a nice distance to be able to learn and grow on my own. And you can’t get much better than being a mile away from the beach. I love the beach. That was another big selling point for me.”

Nelson, a two-time state medalist high jumper, cleared a school record and career best 6 feet, 10 inches during his senior high school season on his way to a PIAA silver medal in Class 3A.

If he can continue jumping that height he could dominate the Coastal Athletic Conference, where this year’s league champ cleared 1.96 meters, or just over 6-5.

“I just want to continue to work hard and stay humble,” Nelson said. “Everyone wants to win the conference. Everyone wants to go out and make a name for themselves. I just hope to remember that I’m part of a new program and I have to continue to work hard to make a name for myself and continue to be the best athlete I can be.”

Nelson leaves high school as a two-time Colonial League and District 11 champ. He burst on the scene as a sophomore when he finished third at leagues and second at districts to compete in his first of three state meets. He improved his finish at states every season after placing 16th as a sophomore. He cleared 6-8 at this year’s state meet, taking second place to the new state-record holder.

Nelson has achieved all of this without competing at indoor meets because he was busy during winter leading the Tiger basketball team in scoring the past three seasons.

With a year-round focus on track and the training a Division 1 program offers, he plans to reach new heights.

“Hopefully I can clear about seven feet,” Nelson said. “And just continue the hard work and dedication because it’s not going to happen overnight.

“Now that I have all year to train, do indoor track, do outdoor track. I think that it’s going to be very beneficial to get that time practicing consistently. With all the time and all the great coaches they have I think I’ll make great leaps and bounds in track and field.”

While Nelson is the only Tiger heading to a Division I program, a few of his classmates will go to Division II teams while the rest are headed to Division III teams.

After a record-setting high school football career, Eli Zimmerman decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and attend Bloomsburg University.

“Bloom has been one of my top picks from the start,” he said. “I built a great relationship with coach [Frank] Sheptock and their whole coaching staff. I knew a couple of their players from either playing against them or from other sports.

“It just felt like home. I wanted a place that felt like Northwestern, a little community that’s built together. They work hard. I hope we can go up there and win a couple games.”

A running back and defensive back in high school, Zimmerman will be mostly a running back in college, but one with the ability to do more than just take handoffs.

“Out the gate if I work hard they said they have a lot of things they can do with me, returning kicks, returning punts, get out there at running back/slot receiver,” he said. “They’re going to have fun. They said they have a couple different things in mind that they can use me as. I’m just looking forward to seeing what they do.”

Brook Balliet, who made her college commitment in spring of her junior year, is heading to Division II Millerville to play soccer. After playing basketball and soccer in high school, Balliet will now focus on just one sport year-round.

“I’m really excited for that,” she said. “I’m excited to see my growth and how well I can perform when that’s my main focus.

“Basketball has had my heart for so long. It’s the first sports I started playing as a little girl. I can always thank it for giving me skills that came on and off the court, a lot that transferred into soccer.”

Jack Mauro will also play soccer in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference the next four years as he committed to East Stroudsburg University, where he’ll join a former Tiger teammate.

“I picked ESU because I knew a bunch of the guys,” said Mauro. “I went on a tour and it just felt right for me. Overall I just loved the school.

“Matt Johnson goes there and a lot of guys from local schools go there too.”

Other college-bound Tiger athletes who are going to Division III programs or non-NCAA teams include Paige Bissell (Virginia Wesleyan University, soccer), Watson Church (Marywood University, baseball), Sophia Cornell (Stockton University, cross country/track and field), Olivia Costa (DeSales University, lacrosse), Syenna Flores (Marywood University, soccer), Megan Fornwalt (DeSales University, track and field), Leia Glassberg (LaSalle College, tumbling/acrobatics), Emma Highley (Kutztown University, acrobatics/tumbling), Nathan Kinzel (Ursinus College, soccer), Shane Marth (Albright College, basketball), Jared Meck (Susquehanna University, lacrosse), Brendan Miller (DeSales University, track and field), Shelby Mitman (Penn State University - Harrisburg, softball), Norah Silfies (Misericordia University, volleyball) and Del Tyler (DeSales University, track and field).

All of this year’s Tiger senior athletes were part of winning teams during their high school careers and many earned several medals at the league and district, with a few even bringing home state medals.

“This senior class had a lot of success,” said Zimmerman. “They worked extremely hard. I can’t count how many championships this group has won in the past four years. To go out with state titles in boys soccer, girls soccer and football. There’s really no better feeling.”