It was an eventful day for Daviess County athletics, as Lily Hoagland, Lucy Spaw, and Blakely Greer all signed letters to compete at the college level. Hoagland is headed to Kentucky Wesleyan College for basketball, while Spaw and Greer will attend Western Kentucky University and Transylvania University, respectively, for cross country and track.
A guard, Hoagland is currently averaging 12.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 50.7% from deep. The senior said the decision was easy because she wanted to stay close to home.
“They came to many of my travel games, and I received a text from them asking me to come visit,” Hoagland said. “The team was really nice, and the campus is smaller which is what I wanted.”
Hoagland also received an offer from Franklin College. Two years ago, Hoagland started to hear from schools, making her realize she had the opportunity to play at the next level.
“I worked on my ball handling, shooting, and my defense,” Hoagland said.
With the pressure from signing off her shoulders, Hoagland can now focus on helping the Lady Panthers win a regional championship. While at Kentucky Wesleyan, Hoagland will also be studying physical therapy.
Both Spaw and Greer have had standout cross-country and track careers at Daviess County, earning multiple top finishes at regionals and state appearances. Spaw said she heard from a couple of schools but preferred WKU.
“I loved the environment, and it is a bigger school,” Spaw said. “The coach and girls made me feel at home.”
Spaw realized earlier in her senior year she had the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level and will be competing in both cross country and track. She is hoping to run the 800 and mile in track and the 5K in cross country. In the classroom, she will be pursuing becoming a dental hygienist.
Greer knew she wanted to attend college in Lexington, but Transylvania wasn’t originally on her radar.
“I went to Lexington without the intention of going to Transylvania, but to visit a different school,” Greer said. “But I fell in love with the campus and the people there are really welcoming. I really like the cross country and track coaches.”
Greer started receiving college during her junior season. After realizing that she could compete at the collegiate level, Greet spoke with her coach Josh Bratcher about how to take the next step.
“He said that I need to think about training plans and how it is going to be different in college compared to high school,” she said. “He helped me just prepare for the next level.”
At Transylvania, she will be running the 6K in cross country and is hoping to compete in the 800, one mile, and two miles for track. Academically, she will be studying occupational therapy.
With their decisions behind them, both Greer and Spaw have turned their attention to leading their track team to state once more.
