On Thursday evening, three standout Pass Christian track athletes put pen to paper to continue their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level.

Talan Lindmark and Nolan Akers signed to compete at Spring Hill College in Mobile, while Ollie "Trae" Bailey III will be taking his talents to Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.

All three have competed in a variety of mid-distance and relay events throughout their high school careers, with Lindmark setting the school record in the 800-meter race and Bailey holding that distinction in the 1600-meter race. The trio of distance runners spoke to WXXV about what getting the opportunity to compete at the next level means to each of them.

"I'm just excited to get it done with basically," Lindmark said. "We've been waiting for this the whole season. It took so long to get here, never thought it was going to happen. [I] started off running not even thinking I was going to make it to college for this, but here we are, so... [I'm] just excited."

"I just thought... I mean I started track in tenth grade, I never thought this was going to happen," Akers added. "I was just doing this for fun. I played football, but I never thought I was actually move on [to the] next level and run. It's just a dream come true."

"This school just meant something different to me," Bailey said. "It was just a coach that, like, he wanted me to be better, not just as an athlete, but as a person. So, that kind of led me to choose Belmont Abbey, but I couldn't do it without God and the support of my family and friends."

Congratulations to these incredible student-athletes, we can't wait to watch you succeed at the next level!