Duo of East athletes signed Thursday to compete collegiately

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - East’s Ellie Swanson and LaeAnna Riley will both officially compete in their respective sports at the next level.

Swanson will be cheering at Dickinson State in North Dakota; she’s been a cheerleader for East all through high school while earning three varsity letters and two all-state nods.

Riley is set to play volleyball at Bard College in New York; she’s also spent all four years at East on the team while additionally participating in club competition with NORCO. Riley is a versatile athlete as well, having made the state meet in track for the Lady T-Birds.

Both girls said they were hooked on their schools in their first interactions with the teams they’ll be joining.

“When we went there, there was a scheduled time for me to meet with the coaches. And when I talked to the coaches, I got to practice with the team a little bit. It was just such a welcoming and loving environment that I decided that’s where I have to go. Because they were the first coaches who like really wanted to connect with me,” Swanson said.

“We’ve done like a virtual thing, or like a zoom call is what people call it. And they’re super nice, they have a lot of character, they are pretty funny, and they’re really welcoming. I haven’t done an actual tour yet of the campus, but I’m pretty excited to do it,” Riley said.

Congratulations to both LaeAnna and Ellie on taking the next step in their careers.

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