Lebanon — Kayla Davis isn’t exactly one for pagentry, making the Lebanon High backdrop and the table decorated Raiders yellow and maroon for Wednesday’s ceremony in the foyer of Lebanon High a little unnerving. But the moment wasn’t lost on her when she finally put pen to paper.

Davis, a senior swimmer for the Raiders and for the Upper Valley Aquatic Center, officially made her commitment to Iona College’s swim team on Wednesday in a ceremony held at Lebanon High that ended a college selection process that Davis called long and tiresome.

Now that it’s all settled, she can finally relax knowing her college future is settled.

“I’m really excited,” Davis said. “It was really cool. I don’t like to make a big deal out of things, but I thought it was really cool that I can just sign it and officially declare myself as part of the team and I really enjoyed.

“The whole college application process has taken so long,” she added. “I’ve been talking to coaches last year and I’ve been looking at colleges since sophomore year. I’m happy I finally got one.”

Lebanon swimming coach K.C. Shephard said Davis’ signing was his first in a coaching career that surpasses 20 years. He posed for pictures with Davis after her signing and took some time to take in the piece of paper.

“It feels really good,” said Shephard, who has coached Davis since her freshman year. “I’m really proud of her.”

Davis is one of Lebanon’s most accomplished swimmers. She finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle, second in the 50 free and second in the 100 backstroke in March at the New Hampshire Swimming Association State Championships.

Family, friends and spectators, including Lebanon athletic director Mike Stone, oversaw the ceremony as Davis signed a dual athletic/academic scholarship with Iona, based in New Rochelle, N.Y., just outside of New York City. She said she plans on studying psychology in school.

“I really liked the campus a lot,” she said. “I liked New York a lot and I liked how the campus was small. I could roll out of bed and in five minutes be at practices. I really liked the coaches, too. They were really nice and welcoming. I stayed with the team a few weeks ago and I really liked them. I felt like I could fit in really well.”

Swimming has almost always been a passion for Davis, getting her first taste of competition when she was six years old. By her junior year of high school, swimming had become a way for Davis to unwind and stay in shape. It was when she made the switch from Green Mountain Aquatics to UVAC following a coaching change that she started to ponder the possibility of taking her passion to the next level.

“My coach (head swim coach and aquatics director Dorsi Raynolds) used to be a college coach,” Davis said. “Practices have definitely been harder, but I feel I’ve improved a lot and my times have dropped tremendously. I really want to just keep pushing myself.”

Davis liked New York City and visited with Fordham University and Iona before choosing the latter.

For now, Davis is happy that the process is over with and she’s excited to represent Lebanon on the collegiate stage.

“My mom swam, so I’ve always been in the water,” Davis said. “I feel like I’m supposed to do it. I like improving myself and pushing myself to get better and better, and I like having people around me that are experiencing the same things as me. It’s such a mentally tough sport, I feel like it’s definitely benefitted me.”

Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.