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TAMA - The academic-athletic mix was just what Blake Nelson was looking for.

The South Tama senior signed a letter of intent Thursday to run cross country and track at NIACC.

"When I started looking at NIACC, I liked how they were an upcoming program," Nelson said. "Coach (Curtis) Vais has the program turning around. The last five years he's had them at the national level.

"Which made it an easy decision on my part. Then the academics, they have the major I was looking at, along with small class sizes and a lot of hands-on type activities I was looking for in a school."

Nelson was a three-time qualifier for the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships. He was 54th as a sophomore, 24th as junior and 21st last October in the Class 3A competition with a time of 16 minutes, 57 seconds.

"I'm very excited to get Blake. He's a very, very solid runner and an athlete I think can make an immediate difference, not just running for us, but his leadership qualities also," Vais said.

"He comes from a great family and he's a high-character kid. For two years, I expect him to really be a leader on and off the track and the cross country course."

The NIACC men's cross country team is a contender on the regional level as well as national landscape.

"We lose three of our top five guys from our national team that finished 11th this past year," Vais said. "We're looking to fill that void and I see Blake being able to step in there and hopefully keep us going in that direction."

Nelson also has toed the starting line at Drake Stadium in the Iowa Track and Field Co-ed State Championships.

As a junior, Nelson was 11th in the Class 3A 3,200 meters in a season-best 10:01.59.

Nelson said he also looked at Grand View, Dana College and Northern Iowa.

"I knew I wanted to run. It was just a matter of where I would fit in with the coaching staff and the kind of caliber which the team is. When I looked at NIACC, they had everything I was looking for."

South Tama has its first home event of the 2010 track season March 6 with the STC Early Bird.