Kayla Parisien had signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her running career next year at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.

Kayla has been a standout athlete for the Buccaneers over the last two years of her career. She had set records and made history for the Dawson Cross Country and Track & Field Women’s Program that was only reinstated at Dawson three years ago.

Kayla qualified for NJCAA Cross Country Nationals her freshman and sophomore year. This year at nationals she finished her season by placing 13th and becoming an All American in November 2020.

Kayla finished her indoor track season with a mile time in the top 20 in the NJCAA, and is currently sitting in outdoor track with the 37th fastest 1500m time in the NJCAA, and is looking to qualify for nationals over the next few weeks.

Through her hard work and continued determination Kayla has brought up the level of competitiveness within the program and will be missed.

Kayla commented her signing, “I am blessed to continue my running career moving forward, and I am so thankful to Coach Chase and everyone at Dawson for their constant support and encouragement both in the classroom and with running. I am excited to grow and continue to improve, but I will miss the people that have become like family to me here at the school and within the community.”

Coach Alex Chase on Kayla’s signing, “Kayla is one of the hardest workers and I am going to miss her immensely next year. I know she will succeed wherever she is at and I am excited to watch her grow over the next 2-3 years while at a 4 year program. Kayla embraced the program and the process and it has paid off. I am thrilled for her and look forward to seeing her at a few meets next year!”

Kayla, a sophomore, will graduate from Dawson Community College in May with an Associates of Science Degree. She will pursue a Civil Engineering degree at SDSMT.