Last night, Matthew Shelly announced his commitment to Iowa State University via Instagram becoming the latest Arkansas distance star to find a home for next fall.
Shelly is coming off an unorthodox cross country season in which the senior from Bentonville started the season on the sideline, missing much of the season. Despite running in just one race prior to the Arkansas state meet, Shelly showcased his talent with a 3rd-place finish before going on to place 15th at the NXR South Regional Championships.
His season culminated in an appearance at Foot Locker Nationals in historic Balboa Park in San Diego, California alongside his teammate Owen Kelley, who announced his commitment to Ole Miss in October.
Last track season, Shelly proved he was one of the state's best, winning a pair of titles during both indoor and outdoor track in the 1,600m and 3,200m events, running personal best times of 4:08.63 in the 1,600m and 9:13.93 in the 3,200m.
In his indoor season opener, Shelly won the 1,600m at the Prentice Gudgen Invitational and finished 2nd in the 3,000m, setting two early-season AR #1 performances in the process.
Iowa State is coming off a second-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships this fall and will now look to continue building one of the nation's strongest programs with two of Arkansas' own, including Harper Jones, Shelly's high school teammate, who announced his commitment last month.
Best of luck to Matthew Shelly on the remainder of his high school career and in Ames!
