Austin senior Jany Gash has always stayed very busy throughout his high school athletic career with the Packers, and he’s about to keep up that level of activity when he goes to college next season.

Gash has committed to play football and compete in track and field at Division III University of Wisconsin-Stout next year.

Gash has played football, basketball and he has competed in track and field throughout his high school career. He’s been a starter at safety and wide receiver for the Packer football team and he’s competed in two state track and field meets as a triple jumper for Austin.

This past fall, Gash had 542 receiving yards and six TDs and he picked off six passes on the defensive side of the ball.

“I’m really excited to keep playing football. I’ve always wanted to play football ever since I was a kid,” Gash said. “To be able to play football in college is really a dream come true.”

Gash has made big strides over the past two years as a triple jumper for the Austin track and field team. He competed in his first Class AA state meet as a sophomore and last year he took fourth place at state with a distance of 45 feet, 6.5 inches. That total was just two inches from the AHS school record.

Gash was the first Packer boy to reach the state track and field podium since 2010 and he has hopes of capping off his senior year on a strong note this spring before competing at Stout.

“My goal for high school is obviously to win state in the triple jump this season,” Gash said. “None of the guys are really out of reach that are returning this year.”

Gash liked what he saw when he made a visit to UW-Stout, which is located in Menomonie, Wis. Right now Gash, is projected to play at wide receiver for the Blue Devils, who went 3-7 overall this past fall.

“I really liked the campus visit when I went there. It really suited me and my needs for a college,” Gash said. “The biggest thing is getting bigger. I’m pretty skinny right now and they want me to beef up and get some more muscle. It’s going to be tough, but I think I’ll be up for the challenge.”

While he will continue to play two of his three sports, Gash is now in his final basketball season with the Packers. The team is currently 14-1 overall and is ranked No. 7 in the state. Gash said he is relishing what’s left of his basketball season and he said that he gained a lot by playing three sports in high school.

“Basketball really means a lot. I’m not taking playing time, practice or games for granted. I’m just living it up,” Gash said. “I think playing three sports helped out a lot. I’ve stayed active and physical and I’ve never been out of shape because I do a lot of work in the summer too.”