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news-gazette photo/J. Daniel pearson Surrounded by her parents and Liberty Head Coach Alfonza Smith (back row), Christelle Bonzil (front center) signs her letter of intent to run track at Rice University.
SCHOLARSHIP SIGNING
Track and field star Christelle Bonzil will be an Owl.
The Liberty High School senior will attend Rice University on a full scholarship after signing an athletic grant-in-aid in a ceremony at the high school on Friday.
A combination of athletics and academics was the deciding factor for Bonzil, who selected Rice over offers from Marshall, Southern Mississippi, Alabama-Birmingham and Wichita State.
“I’ve always loved Texas and I fell in love with Rice on my visit. The academics are excellent and they are very serious about their athletics too. It really felt like it was the place where I belonged.”
Ranked in the top 50 on most lists for academic excellent, Rice appears to be a great fit for Bonzil — who has already earned an associate of arts degree and is part of Liberty’s Dr. Pace’s Senior Focus Group.
“I am extremely happy and excited for Christelle and this incredible opportunity,” Liberty track coach Alfonza Smith said. “This is something that she has been working for in the last three years. I could see her stepping in as a freshman, making an immediate impact and even scoring points in the conference tournament. She’s a talented, hard-working person who is only going to get better with experience.”
A specialist in jumps, Bonzil won the Class 3A, District 8 Championship in the high jump, long jump and triple jump as a junior.
She also ran the opening leg on the Chargers’ district champion 4 x 100 relay team.
Advancing to regional competition, Bonzil was a two-time champion, winning both the high jump (5’-1.75”) and the triple jump (38’- 5.5”). She also qualified for the state championship in the long jump, taking second place with a leap of 17’-6.75”. She helped Liberty to a third place finish in the 4 x 100, earning a spot in the state championships in four events in her junior year.
Bonzil would go on to earn All-State honors in all three of her individual events. At the Class 3A Championships at the University of North Florida Hodges Field, she placed fourth in the Triple Jump
(11.72 meters), fifth in the high jump (1.57 meters) and 8th in the long jump
(5.31 meters). She also helped the Chargers to a tenth place finish in the 4 x 100 meters.
As a sophomore, she would win a district title in the high jump, eventually advancing to the state finals in that event.
Bonzil noted that she anticipates competing in the jumps in college but hasn’t ruled out the sprints or even the hurdles.
“I started running the hurdles in the offseason and really enjoy them. It’s another event I would consider,” she said.
As for now, she added that she was glad the recruiting process was over and is looking forward to her senior season.
“With the decision over, I feel I can really concentrate on my senior season,” Bonzil said. “I think a state championship in at least one event is certainly a reachable goal.”
