A star on both the softball diamond and in the classroom at West Bloomfield High School, senior Allyson Kus signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Western Michigan University beginning next fall.

Kus, who helped lead the Lakers to district championships as a freshman and a sophomore while hitting at a .330 average with 32 runs batted in and 16 games won as a pitcher in her sophomore season, said that she's excited to compete against Division-1 competition as a Bronco in the Mid-American Conference.

"I’m a very competitive. I want to face the best. At Western, we could compete with big schools and do very well. They play schools in the Big Ten, but they also travel to play large schools far away, which is exciting for me," Kus said Thursday.

Kus figures as a starting member of the Broncos' rotation. Her signing at Finesse Fast Pitch, a travel team based in Troy, coincided with the signing of shortstop Melissa Palmer at Troy Athens High School. The two play together on the Finesse 18-and-under Gold team, which Kus said, makes for a smooth transition in her mind.

"(Palmer and I) have played together for two years. The whole team just makes me feel very comfortable. I think I'll be able to contribute right away," Kus said.

Kus, who maintains a 3.6 grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society, is just as excited for opportunities to grow within WMU's pre-med department. She also hopes to attend the school's new School of Medicine, which is scheduled to welcome its' first class in 2014.

"It's great, considering the field that I want to go into. It's also a beautiful campus and it's not too far from home," Kus said.

Kus added that she wants to be a doctor in the field of sports medicine or pediatrics.