The next level Ciara Marlow to play sports at Aurora University

Ciara Marlow looked at colleges like North Central and St. Xavier. She even considered Western Illinois University a little bit.

The 17-year-olds decision boiled down to one thing.I knew I wanted to go to a small school that I could compete at and help my team, she said.

So, the talented senior at Monmouth-Roseville chose Aurora University to continue her basketball and track careers. Marlow, with a 3.4 grade point average, will receive an academic scholarship from Aurora University and plans to have a double major in business administration and marketing.

The 5-foot-7 Marlow has increased her strength this year from a weight-training program put together by Monmouth-Roseville football coach Jeremy Adolphson. Marlow surprised herself a bit even in track this season in the high jump competition a field event that she hadnt competed in since eighth grade when she cleared the bar at 5-foot and just missed the 5-2 mark when her arm hit the bar.

Ciara is tough and she is so versatile, said Aurora track coach Ryan Chapman. We really dont know what she cant do with her pop in the triple jump. She is one you describe as an athlete.

The basketball program at Aurora University is clearly in a rebuilding mode, finishing the 2011-12 season with a 2-23 record overall and a 1-17 mark in the Northern Athletic Conference. Plus, Aurora has a new coach in Guinette Edwards and Marlow will be part of her first recruiting class at the college. Edwards said she wants to her teams to apply aggressive and relentless pressure and that clearly fits the game of Marlow.

"I'm certainly excited for her to be a Spartan," Edwards said. "We think she has all the athleticism, character and poise to be an impact player immediately. In addition to her achievements in the classroom, we think that she will be a tremendous addition to Aurora University both on and off the court. We anticipate a great deal of success from Ciara for the next four years."