CHERRY TWP — Haley McFeaters was set on playing volleyball in college.

But her talent on the track could not be ignored.

A senior sprinter on the Moniteau girls track team, McFeaters will continue her academic and athletic careers at Thiel College.

"I went to Thiel and met some of the members of the (track) team," she said. "They were all very nice people. I was thinking of a few other schools, but a lot of them didn't have my major, criminal justice.

"I was going to play volleyball in college," added McFeaters, a three-time all-star setter at Moniteau. "But then I had a very successful junior year on the track team. Track is an addiction."

McFeaters' junior campaign yielded District 9 Class AA titles in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes. She also took home KSAC Girls Track MVP honors.

She is the school record holder in the 200 (26.5 seconds) and the 400 (59.0).

In her final competition as a high school athlete, McFeaters will head to the PIAA Track and Field Championships this weekend after finishing second at the District 9 meet in the 200 and 400 dashes and on the 1,600 relay squad with Alyssa Deal, Amanda Gladd and Amy Gladd.

That quartet holds the school record at 4:12.0.

Track and field is viewed by many to be a sport dominated by individuals, but just as important to McFeaters is the team success she has helped bring to Moniteau.

Until 2005, Moniteau had never won a conference title in girls track, even though the program has been around since the early 1970s.

The Warriors are now the two-time defending champion of the KSAC.

"It was an incredible feeling," said McFeaters. "I'd never been part of something like that. We lost some leaders from last season's team, but Alyssa (Deal), Amber (Dillaman) and myself, we stepped up and everybody on the team supported each other."

"It's going to be very tough to replace Haley," said Moniteau girls' track coach Sue Scialabba. "We have no sprinters right now who are going to be able to fill that void next year."

As for volleyball, a sport McFeaters has been involved in since elementary school, she's not closing the door on it just yet.

"I'm going to see how my first year of track goes in college," she said. "And if everything goes well, I might play volleyball too."

"Haley is a natural athlete," said Moniteau volleyball coach Alea Kennedy. "She has an incredible ability to read the ball and is more instinctive than most players. She could absolutely play in college."