Missy McIntyre can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The highly-touted All-American swimmer from Oak Harbor made a verbal commitment to swim at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calf., starting next fall.

“It’s a big weight off my shoulders,” she said. “It’s nice to have that behind me now.”

McIntyre, a senior at OHHS, said she had between 20-25 schools interested in recruiting her. The top two other choices beside USC were narrowed down to Arizona and Georgia.

Other major universities interested included Washington, Texas A&M, Texas, Auburn and Wisconsin.

The choice to go to USC was a simple one.

“The team is what drew me there,” she said. “These are people that I want to spend the next four years with.”

A great relationship with USC coach Mark Schubert, also the US Olympic coach, was a deciding factor.

“Everything he steps on turns to gold for me,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre becomes the second member of the OHHS class of 2005 to sign with a major Division I college. Senior Heidi McNeill made a commitment last winter to play basketball at the University of Washington in the 2005-2006 school year.