With five varsity letters between them this school year alone, Rio Rancho High School seniors Tamara Fowler and Wally Fink signed their national letters of intent Thursday afternoon to compete at the next level.

Fowler, who played on the Rams' 2005 state volleyball championship team, the girls basketball team that got as far as the state quarterfinals, and has already qualified for the state track meet (in the high jump), will attend West Texas A&M University in Canyon and play volleyball next season.

Fink, the starting goalkeeper for the boys soccer team, which got as far as the 5A state semifinals, and the starting second baseman on the varsity baseball team, still in contention for the District 1-5A title and state playoff berth, signed to attend Regis University (Denver), where he'll play soccer and baseball. "For college, I'm not playing goalie. I'm mostly playing forward there," Fink said. "I don't know if I'll ever go back to goal. When I went to a camp there, they really wanted me to play forward instead of goalie."

Fink's athleticism in goal was a key to the Rams soccer team turning in its best season ever.

After a year without baseball, Fink won the starting job at second base for the Rams this year. He said he'd probably be at that position for the Rangers next spring.

Ultimately, Fink said he'd like to "get into the FBI."

The Rangers' soccer team, which plays in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, was 8-6-3 overall and 5-5-2 in the RMAC last fall; the baseball team was 26-18 as of April 15.

Fowler, who someday hopes to have a singing career in the world of country music, said she had to "go audition" for the WTAM music department.

"They have a real good music program that I got accepted into," she said, knowing she won't be playing basketball or high-jumping anymore. "They don't have a track team," she said.

"With volleyball and music, I figure that's going to be enough to at least keep me busy for at least freshman year. After that, we'll see," she said.

"They're pretty good," she said of the Lady Buffs' volleyball team. "They've done really well in their conference."

The Lady Buffs were 27-10 last fall.