Oak Harbor High School senior Caylie Etherington signed a letter of intent Wednesday, Feb. 7, to play soccer for one of nation’s best Division II programs, Western Washington University.

The Vikings, who are coached by Oak Harbor graduate Travis Connell, have reached the Final Four in three of the past five years, winning the title in 2016.

Etherington won four varsity letters while playing for the Wildcats and earned All-Wesco honors her junior and senior seasons.

She was recruited by a handful of other schools but chose Western because it is “close to home and the coaches were very welcoming; so were the players.”

Etherington began playing soccer when she was 4 years old and also played basketball in her youth but chose to focus on soccer as she developed as an athlete.

In addition to playing midfield for Oak Harbor High School, she has been a member of two elite club programs, Crossfire and EPD (Elite Player Development).

Unlike a number of select players who skip high school soccer to work with their club teams, Etherington competed for the Wildcats.

“I wanted to represent my school,” she said. “I wanted to pass along my passion for soccer to the underclassmen.”