For Isabella track and field star Sarah Graham, hard work has finally paid off. 

The senior—and 2014 AHSAA Class 2A Champion in the 800-meter—signed a National Letter of Intent to run for the University of West Alabama for the 2015-16 season in a ceremony held Wednesday in the IHS auditorium.

Due to NCAA rules, no one from UWA could be at the event, but  Rex Littleton, the track and field coach for Isabella, said the Tigers were getting an athlete with a strong work ethic.

“She’s a great competitor,” he said. “Competitor-wise, nobody’s going to lay it on the line with more heart than she will. She’s all heart. They’re not going to get anyone who’s going to outwork her. You can’t make students do what she did. You can ask them to, but she’d go out there and (practice) on her own. She always has overachieved, and she’s a good student too.”

Littleton said he could see the energy and commitment Graham put into running with each state meet.

“She’s been running since the seventh grade,” he said. “Each year, she placed a little higher (in the 800-meter). Last year, she finally won. It’s kind of ironic. The first year she was fifth, the second year fourth, the third year third, all the way down to winning it. This year, she’s got a chance to repeat.”

Isabella principal Ricky Porter said he had witnessed Graham’s commitment to improvement.

“Sarah, through a lot of hard work, has attained her goals of being a state champion and going to a four-year college on scholarship,” he said.

Graham said she was happy to see her career continue.

“It’s been one of my dreams,” she said. “It’s hard to describe, but it’s a very good feeling knowing hard work does pay off.”

Graham said she felt a sense of comfort from the Livingston community, which led to her choosing UWA.

“Its a small-town campus,” she said. “It’s kind of out (there), so it’s kind of got that country feel that I’m used to. They have rodeos and a lake and all that, like a home away from home feel.”

Graham also said she hoped to be able to continue to help the Mustangs for now.

“I want to be able to be a leader to people and somebody for them to look up to,” she said. “Knowing (the Isabella community) appreciates and supports me means a lot to me. We have some young girls on the team, and there’s two seniors that are leaving, so they’ll be the ones left, and we want to be able teach them what we can while we’re here.”

She also said she hoped to contribute to the Tigers’ squad upon arrival.

“With my times right now, I think if I keep working I can be competitive,” she said. “Freshman year, I’m just hoping to learn as much as I can and just see what happens. Hopefully, maybe sophomore and junior year, I’m hoping to get a conference championship maybe.”