Three BG athletes sign to play collegiately
Published 3:43 pm Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Bowling Green High School student athlete Kathryn Harris hugs her parents after signing her Letter of Intent to run cross country for Western Kentucky University during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Drew Isenberg and Katy Smiley in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Katy Smiley smiles after signing her Letter of Intent to play women’s basketball for Campbellsville University during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Kathryn Harris and Drew Isenberg in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Katy Smiley speaks before singing her Letter of Intent to play women’s basketball for Campbellsville University during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Kathryn Harris and Drew Isenberg in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Katy Smiley signs her Letter of Intent to play women’s basketball for Campbellsville University during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Kathryn Harris and Drew Isenberg in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Drew Isenberg smiles after signing his Letter of Intent to play baseball for Rend Lake College in Illinois during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Kathryn Harris and Katy Smiley in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Drew Isenberg speaks before signing his Letter of Intent to play baseball for Rend Lake College in Illinois during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Kathryn Harris and Katy Smiley in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Drew Isenberg signs his Letter of Intent to play baseball for Rend Lake College in Illinois during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Kathryn Harris and Katy Smiley in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Kathryn Harris thanks her friends, family and coaches before signing her Letter of Intent to run cross country for Western Kentucky University during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Drew Isenberg and Katy Smiley in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
Bowling Green High School student athlete Kathryn Harris signs her Letter of Intent to run cross country for Western Kentucky University during a signing ceremony alongside fellow classmates Drew Isenberg and Katy Smiley in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
(From left) Bowling Green High School student athletes Kathryn Harris, Drew Isenberg and Katy Smiley gather to sign Letters of Intent to continue their athletic careers in college in the school’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Harris signed to run cross country for Western Kentucky University, Isenberg signed to play baseball for Rend Lake College in Illinois and Smiley signed to play women’s basketball for Campbellsville University. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynews.com)
By MICHEAL COMPTON / micheal.compton@bgdailynews.com
It was a day of celebration for three of Bowling Green High School’s senior athletes with Kathryn Harris, Katy Smiley and Drew Isenberg each signing to play at the collegiate level.
Harris signed to run cross country at Western Kentucky. Smiley signed to play basketball at Campbellsville University, while Isenberg will play baseball at Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois.
Harris said she was beyond words to be able to sign to run at the next level.
“That’s awesome to me,” Harris said. “I think it will be such a great way to give back to my community. … (And) I am so excited to be surrounded by teammates that love running just as much as I do.”
Harris said she was already interested in attending WKU and studying in the school’s science department, so when she was offered to run the decision was easy.
“It was definitely an honor knowing my hometown university wanted me to be there,” Harris said.
Harris has had a decorated career at Bowling Green, one of five runners in school history to break the 19-minute mark. She is the school record holder for a 5K track race and was an all-state runner in cross country this past season.
The runner-up in the Class 3A, Region 2 meet, Harris finished 22nd at the 3A state meet in Lexington.
Harris said she is happy to have her signing official.
“It is a huge relief,” Harris said. “I am definitely excited to be able to focus on the upcoming track season. Now I know where I am going and what my future is going to look like.”
Smiley said she is excited about continuing her basketball career at Campbellsville.
“This has been a dream of mine since I was little, so it’s awesome that I get to go to college and continue the game that I love,” Smiley said.
She said she chose Campbellsville because she enjoyed the family atmosphere. There was an extra bonus, the chance to play at Bowling Green again. Bowling Green High School hosts the Mid-South Conference tournament.
“Once I decided that’s where I wanted to be and what the best fit was, that was one of the first thoughts – that I would be able to come back and play back on my home court,” Smiley said.
Smiley is coming off a productive junior campaign in which she led the Lady Purples in scoring (10.7 ppg), rebounding (5.8 rpg), made 3-pointers (55) and free-throw percentage (81.2%). The Lady Purples finished 24-11, winning a fifth straight region title.
She said she is happy to have her signing finished and is ready to focus on her final season as a Lady Purple.
“It is a big relief,” Smiley said. “Knowing what I am going to be doing in the future, I can be focused on the upcoming season and be ready to get after it.”
Isenberg said he is excited about the chance to continue his baseball career, adding he chose Rend Lake because it had a nice campus and facilities and felt like a place he could fit in.
“I’m really excited,” Isenberg said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play college sports, especially baseball. When I was little, I thought I was going to play all sports but as I grew up (I knew I was) a baseball guy.”
Isenberg was a dual threat for the Purples last season, throwing a team-best 52 innings – finishing 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA. Offensively, he was third on BG with a .306 batting average – scoring 23 runs with 14 RBIs and was 13-for-15 in stolen bases. Bowling Green finished 29-7, falling to South Warren in the opening round of the District 14 tournament.
He said he is relieved to sign and lock up his future at the next level.
“You always have a little bit of stress, not knowing where you are gonna go the next four years – or in my case, the next two years,” Isenberg said. “Now I can focus on my craft through our senior season and hopefully we can win a region championship.”
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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