A trio of Greenwood student athletes signed to play at the collegiate level on Tuesday, with Arden Dethridge heading to Murray State to play tennis and a pair of boys’ basketball players – Nick Simpson and Garrett Hatcher – signing with Hanover College and Boyce College respectively.

Dethridge signed just days before beginning her quest to repeat as region doubles champion.

“It means a lot,” Dethridge said. “I am really excited. College tennis is a different atmosphere. College is more of a playing and growing experience, while high school tennis is more of a family.”

She said she chose Murray State because she wants to get into pediatrics and the school has a great program to achieve that goal.

“I wanted a place that would balance the athletics and academics,” Dethridge said, “I thought that was the perfect fit for me. It was also a place that was close to my family, but gave me a lot of breathing room.”

Dethridge enters her final region tournament undefeated in four years. She won three straight region singles titles before joining Avery Overmohle last year to win the region doubles title. Dethridge will look for a repeat this week with new partner Aisha Merchant.

She said she is happy to have her college decision secure so she can focus on the postseason.

“It’s a big relief,” Dethridge said. “I am just excited for what we can do at state this year.”

Simpson said signing was a big moment, one he had thought about for a long time.

“I have been dreaming about this since I was a little kid,” Simpson said. “Just to actually be here now, it’s kind of surreal.”

He said he had multiple offers but as soon as he visited Hanover he knew it was the one.

“The lifestyle is great there,” Simpson said. “Seeing that the basketball coaches really liked me was one of my deciding factors. They actually want me there.”

Simpson leaves Greenwood with a decorated career that included surpassing the 1,000 point career total. He’s eighth on the all-time scoring list for the Gators. Last season he led Greenwood in scoring (14.9 ppg), while shooting 80.5% from the free-throw line.

He said Tuesday’s signing was bittersweet.

“I’m just taking it all in because you never get a chance to walk these halls again after this year,” Simpson said. “I’ve went down certain hallways I haven’t been down in a couple of years, talking to teachers I haven’t seen in a minute, taking it all in.”

Like his teammate, Hatcher said he was very excited to sign and get a chance to play at the next level.

“This has been my dream since I started playing basketball in sixth grade,” Hatcher said. “It really means a lot to me.”

Hatcher said his faith played a big role in his college decision.

“College is a trajectory of where you are going to be the rest of your life,” Hatcher said. “I want to be surrounded by fellow Christians who will hold me accountable. Just help me grow in my faith and grow as a person and a player. Boyce seemed like the right place for me.”

Hatcher averaged 9.3 points and 3.9 rebounds last season for a Greenwood team that finished 17-13. He said he is excited about the next chapter.

“I’ve been waiting to make that college decision for the last couple of months,” Hatcher said. “It really helped lift a big burden and get excited for the next chapter.”