Fresh off a very successful spring in track and field, three more Del Norte High student-athletes have announced that they will compete for College of the Redwoods next year, as the list of recent Warriors to commit to the local JC continues to grow.Outgoing seniors Emmanuel Nunez, Alyssa McCovey and Tianna Thompson have all signed a letter of commitment to join the Corsairs track team for the spring of 2023.And CR head coach Reed Elmore expects the speedy McCovey and Thompson to have an immediate impact on a Corsairs squad that is coming off one of its most competitive seasons ever.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');“Our (4x100 meter) relay team was good this year, but with these two we can go to state,” Elmore said.The talented trio join several recent Del Norte graduates to commit to CR, a list that includes Tanner Forkner, Levi Cox Cooley, Sam Schauerman, Kaleb Price and Konner Price (football); Jin Vue (soccer); and Molly Slayton (volleyball), all of whom will begin playing for the Corsairs this fall.Thompson was an H-DNL champion this year in both the 200 meters and the 4x100m relay, as well as placing third in the 400m final, as the Warriors won both the boys and girls league championships.And Elmore believes the Gasquet native has the tools to succeed at the next level.“She’s just talented and dedicated,” he said. “You can win on talent in high school, but at the JC level you better outwork your opponent and Tianna does that.”Thompson, who is undecided on a major, says competing for Del Norte helped prepare her for the jump to college, especially competing alongside her relay teammates — McCovey, Lili Nunez and Gianna Taylor — who dominated in league.“It helps in practice running against them,” she said. “I really liked this year. With our new head coach (Taylor Duncan) I learned a lot more. It was my most successful year and I learned a lot.”McCovey, who was also an all-league soccer selection at Del Norte, will compete in the sprints and hurdles for CR after placing second in both hurdles events at this year’s H-DNL championships.“She’s a really versatile athlete, and really a technician in hurdles,” Duncan said. “She’s really focused on getting better. She has a lot of potential.”Elmore echoed the sentiment.“She’s a hard worker,” he said.McCovey says she felt the local community college was a perfect fit for her.“The coaches are really nice and I felt like I would definitely fit in there,” she said. “Everybody’s close, and I just felt comfortable when I toured the campus.”Emmanuel Nunez also is expected to have an immediate impact on a CR men’s team that is fast establishing itself as a force in the Golden Valley Conference and one that placed second in the conference championships this year.“He just has a great work ethic,” Duncan said. “He’s got positive energy every day and really is willing to do whatever we ask him to do.”The outgoing Del Norte senior will compete in the 400m for CR and Elmore believes he has a “huge upside” as long as he puts in the work.Nunez, who wants to major in Construction Technology and Agriculture, says he chose CR for a couple of reasons.“I didn’t want to go too far, and they have a good program and it looks like a good school,” he said. “The program helps with our school work and that’s perfect for me and one of the reasons I applied there.”Nunez also believes that competing for the Warriors helped prepare him for the next step.“The (Del Norte) coaches all care about us and I really liked the positive energy about the team,” he said. “In track you can fit in, whoever you are. And I like how it’s an individual sport, so you’re really going up against yourself.”The CR women, meanwhile, won the GVC championship this spring and went on to place sixth in the NorCal championships, and Thompson is hoping she can help them continue that success next spring.“I saw how good the girls team at CR did this year and hopefully we can do better next year,” she said. “And hopefully I can be a part of that.”McCovey, who is leaning toward a Business degree, also played basketball for the Warriors but admits that track is now her favorite sport.“I would say that in the last year track and field has become my favorite,” she said. “I just really like the thrill of racing.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });