'I'll give it my all': Sprinter bound for US on full scholarship

Watson has signed at Southern Illinois University, where she has received a four-year full scholarship.

The 18-year-old - who has won races across 70-metre, 100m, 200m and 400m distances - hopes to improve her speed at the Carbondale-based campus but would go into the experience with little expectations.

"The whole thing in itself will be an amazing experience, I just want to see where that will take me," she said.

The 2023 Stawell Gift finalist said the US college sports system had always been on her radar.

"Quite a lot of track and field athletes do go over to the states for college," she said. "You always know of people over there or people who are going and I just thought, 'when I got to the age, I've got nothing to lose, I may as well give it my all'.

"I think if I didn't go or didn't give it my best, I'd probably regret it later in life.

"I'll give it my all and see how far my running can take me."

Watson, who graduated from Warrnambool College on Thursday, said the coach at Southern Illinois "won the race" in convincing her to become a Salukis.

"The recruiting process is quite long and you speak to many, many different coaches and each one is very different to the last," she said.

"A bit depended on the scholarship and what they were going to offer me, but it really came down to the coach and how well I felt they knew their team and athletes, how passionate they were about their training and all the little things."

Watson, who trains with the DPS stable and is a two-time Warrnambool Gift winner, said it would be bittersweet to leave her hometown and teammates.

However she knows the prospect of starting tertiary education either overseas or in Australia would have seen her move away.

"It's definitely very exciting and everything is going to be new," she said.

"But it will also be quite sad, my coaches I've had (Rob Duynhoven and Wayne Perry) since I was 10-years-old, the squad I've trained with, we've been together the whole time I've been running."

Watson will remain in Australia until August, 2024 and complete one final athletics season, including various Victorian Athletic League Gift meetings, and the Victorian and Australian under 20 championships.

"I want to have one last season here in Australia, trying to basically do my best and run as fast as I can and put myself in the best position to leave here feeling good about my last season," she said.