PHOTO PROVIDED - West Marshall High School senior and Marshalltown diver Abby Tollefson, seated center, recently signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her diving career at Iowa State University in Ames next year. Joining Tollefson for her recent signing ceremony were (from left) MHS assistant coach Leah Barkema, Bob Tollefson, Lori Tollefson and MHS head coach Angie Nelson.

Two days before ascending to the top of the high school diving ranks as state champion, Abby Tollefson charted her course for the next part of her diving journey.

The Marshalltown diver and West Marshall student signed with Iowa State University’s women’s swimming and diving team last Wednesday.

Tollefson visited the Ames campus earlier this year and was impressed with the facilities and the team atmosphere.

“I also got to watch their practice and see how coach Jeff [Warrick] interacted with all of his divers,” Tollefson said. “It just seemed like it would be a great fit for me.”

Tollefson ends her high school diving career with a state title and school records in the diving events.

“Abby will be an immediate impact player on our team,” Warrick said. “It’s great when we can keep homegrown Iowa divers in-state, and even better when they choose to be part of Cyclone Nation.”

As a self-ascribed “crime show junkie”, Tollefson wants to pursue a pre-law track with the ultimate goal of being a prosecuting attorney.

“I watch a lot of those shows, but I also think the lawyer field is just a really great field to be in,” Tollefson said. “Especially as a prosecuting attorney, where you’re really trying to put that guy away, I just think that’s kind of cool.”

Tollefson is one of three divers that have signed with the ISU team, including Illinois state champ Maggie Bendell and Minnesota multi-time state qualifier Grace Marek.

“I know I’m not going to be the best one there, which I think is awesome, because there’s always something to reach for,” Tollefson said. “Just having someone to look up to as teammates is going to be really really helpful and make improvements easier.”