With commencement ceremonies less than a week away, six Vicksburg High senior athletes set their compasses in a new direction.

The Gators have six track athletes who’ve signed on to continue running and jumping at the collegiate level. Keiyana Gaskin and Tyler McDowell will head southeast and east to Southern Miss and Jackson State, respectively.

Ty’Mesha Nabors and a band of brothers in Leon Miles, Keymontez White and Greg Lewis are headed to Hinds Community College.

“It’s a big accomplishment,” White said. “We all put in a lot of work and we strived for greatness. We knew what we wanted and went for it.”

An official signing ceremony was held for seniors Friday afternoon, but the group had already made its commitments prior to that. White signed in March, Miles in the fall, Nabors early this year, Gaskin and Lewis in April, and McDowell on May 11.

White will run the 400 meters and Miles will continue to run in a variety of events from the 400 meter dash, 400-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles. Lewis will run the 100 and 200 meters as well as the 400.

Miles won the MHSAA Class 5A championship in the 300-meter hurdles three years in a row, and in the 110-meter hurdles each of the last two years.

Gaskin is unsure about running relays and was asked how she felt about competing in the 100- and 200-meter events. She’s a two-time state champion in both.

McDowell will compete in the long and triple jumps. He won the Class 5A title in the triple jump at this year’s state meet.

Excited for the new challenges they’ll face as freshmen, the seniors are excited and feel blessed for the opportunities in front of them. Miles is nervous about competing on the collegiate level but is most of all excited to see what it has to offer him.

Gaskin is ready to see what her future at Southern Miss has in store and what running a full track season will say about her as an athlete. Gaskin has nursed a hamstring injury in her final two years as a Gator.

“I’m ready to complete new goals also. I think this is the beginning of my life; a whole other adventure,” Gaskin said.

McDowell feels grateful and blessed to have run with his fellow seniors, while Lewis credits the work of his coaches for getting him to college.

“I feel that the coaches don’t get enough recognition for what they do. I feel like if it weren’t for coach (Clarence) Maxey and coach (Shaun) Archer we wouldn’t be where we are,” Lewis said as Gaskin interjected and thanked VHS girls track coach Stacey Banks for her discipline.

As the seniors have been together through meets on the road, every day in school and time spent away from athletics and academics, White said they’ve become a family and their freshman year of college would be tough without each other.

However, the family won’t be completely broken and Gaskin is emphatic they’ll keep in touch with group messages.

White and Lewis will be roommates at Hinds and Miles will continue to provide moral support as he’s done at Vicksburg by pushing White to explore new events.

“I feel like I push (Keymontez) to work hard. At the beginning of the season he didn’t think he could run the 48 (seconds) in the 400. So I kept telling him we have to work hard and you never know what happens. To run the 400 it’s a mind thing so you have to have strength, but at the end of the race it’s about who’s more relaxed and stronger,” Miles said. “At USM, the first track meet, I told Keymontez get out the blocks the first 10 or 15 meters and at the end of the race stay relaxed. He ran a 48.9 easily.”

Gaskin and McDowell will transition smoothly to their new campuses.

In McDowell’s case it’ll be like “going to a cousin’s house.” He’s enrolled in summer classes and said he won’t be a social outcast in the fall.

“We’re already talking, we’re already communicating so I really know everyone as it is already,” McDowell said.

Gaskin isn’t new to student life in Hattiesburg, as she’s become familiar with the city through friends.

“I’m used to getting along with new people and meeting new people,” Gaskin said.

VHS TRACK SIGNEES

• Keiyana Gaskin (Southern Miss)

• Ty’Mesha Nabors (Hinds Community College)

• Tyler McDowell (Jackson State)

• Leon Miles (Hinds CC)

• Keymontez White (Hinds CC)

• Greg Lewis (Hinds CC)