With a full ride in hand, Warren Central track and cross country standout Condrea Collins is running her way to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Collins signed across country and track athletic scholarship with the Golden Lions on Thursday in front of her parents, Derrick and Connie Collins, and WC’s cross country coach Chad McMullin.

Collins said it was not a hard decision to sign with Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Golden Lions won the 2009 SWAC cross country championship for the first time in school history and also earned a bid to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Southern Regional meet.

“They gave me the best scholarship. Coach (Curtis) Pittman has been after me since my sophomore year,” Collins said. “They offered me a full ride, including tuition and no out-of-state fees.”

Collins will compete in both cross country and track and field for the Golden Lions.

“I loved my visit there,” Collins said. “They are going to work me pretty hard. For cross country, their runners put in 60 miles a week.”

Collegiate cross country competes in the fall and track performs in the spring, so Collins will have no problem doing both. She said she expects to run the 800 meters and the 1,600 meter relay for Arkansas Pine Bluff.

At Warren Central, Collins had an excellent fall campaign in her junior season of cross country.

She made Class 5A All-State after finishing in 12th place with a time of 16:22 in the state meet at Choctaw Trails in Clinton.

“You couldn’t ask for a better student athlete,” McMullin said. “She’s a great student and a great leader. She had a great junior year and if not for her injury, she would’ve been all-state again.”

Collins looked to have a strong spring season in track and field, but got sick the day of the state meet in Pearl.

“I had the mile run and I just tried to get it finished. I hated that I got sick. That’s why I’m looking forward to this spring, so that I can get back to state and not get sick this time,” Collins said. She will run the 800 and 1,600 meter run for Matt Lum’s Lady Vikes this spring.

Collins hopes a good track season will make up for a difficult fall in cross country.

“My cross country season was really bad for me. I pulled a groin in September and I finished 30th in the state meet,” Collins said.

Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com