Jackson's Hobbs to swim at Northern Iowa

Jackson senior Allison Hobbs thought she wanted to attend a college close to home.

A visit to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls changed her mind.

"I wanted to stay close because I like being around my family and stuff, but eventually whenever I took my recruiting trip to Northern Iowa, I was like, I love it here," she said.

Hobbs, who has qualified for the state swimming meet in her first three years of high school, will continue her swimming career with the Panthers at the Division I level.

"The team atmosphere was just very familylike," Hobbs said. "It would have been like my family away from home. It was just a familylike atmosphere. The town was just really nice. The campus was really nice. Everything kind of worked out that way and I like it a lot."

Hobbs (Allison)

Hobbs narrowed her choices to Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois before choosing Northern Iowa.

"It's a big accomplishment, obviously," Hobbs said about swimming at the Division I level. "I think I know that, my coach knows that. We're all just very excited to see where I'm going to be going in the future."

Hobbs said she isn't sure about a major but thinks she wants to become a high school teacher.

"That's kind of the reason I want to be a high school teacher is because I could be a high school coach, a swim coach," she said. "Right now during the summer, I actually am coaching for the Gator Swim Team."

Jackson opens its high school swimming season Dec. 7, and Hobbs said there's already a huge weight lifted off her back since she knows where she'll be heading next fall.

"It's definitely a relief that I know what I'm going to be doing next year and I know where I'm going to be living, all the different aspects that go into college," she said. "It's just good to know that I'm actually going to have somewhere to go next year."

Hobbs, who started swimming competitively when she was 10 years old, said she'll likely compete in the distance freestyle events, although she also likes the backstroke.

Her best finish at the state meet was 14th in the 500 freestyle last season.

Other signing

Jackson senior Ryan Gibson, who earned all-state honors in two events at the recent state swimming meet, will swim at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo., next year.

Gibson, who finished sixth in the 200 freestyle and tied for seventh in the 100 butterfly at the state meet, will join his older brother Greg at Missouri S&T. Greg is a sophomore on the cross country team.