Northside Christian's Katelyn Greenleaf picks Alabama

Wed. January 18, 2012 | Bob Putnam

Northside Christian’s Katelyn Greenleaf, the most dominant girls distance runner in Pinellas County, committed to Alabama on Wednesday afternoon.

Initially, Greenleaf narrowed her choices of schools to Alabama and Florida in December and said she would wait until after the winter break to make her decision. She added Clemson and South Carolina to her list this month and visited both schools this past weekend.

She chose the Crimson Tide because of the cooler weather and the school’s proximity to home.

"I wanted to take those last two visits just to see if there was anything I was missing," Greenleaf said. "I just really like Alabama because it has a homey feel to it and the campus is close enough driving distance for my parents and my relatives in Georgia