COLLEGE SIGNING … Shown at Smith’s signing are seated Heather Smith (mother), Abby Smith, Jeff Smith (father). Back row: Wauseon soccer coaches Jeff Vasvery and Brandon Schroeder.
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
WAUSEON – Wauseon Lady Indian soccer player Abby Smith recently committed to further her education and play soccer at Mount Vernon University.
“After a lot of searching, MVNU had the environment that was the best fit for me. There is a very strong Christian community which is something I highly value”, said Smith, who will be studying Elementary Education.
“I was in contact with a couple other schools that were potential options. There weren’t any schools that I didn’t like, but nothing really compared to Mount Vernon, so I never seriously considered signing anywhere else”, added Smith.
For Smith, she wasn’t sure if playing college soccer was in the cards. “I was definitely very late in the game”, began Smith when talking about the recruiting process.
“I have grown up playing soccer and have loved it from the age of three. It was always my dream to play at a higher level, but once I got into high school, I didn’t know if it was realistic because I had never played for any major clubs.”
“When senior season came around, I knew I wasn’t ready to let go of being a player yet, so I spent the fall and winter reaching out to coaches, trying to gauge what I wanted in a school, both athletically and academically, and trying to get myself out there.”
“I didn’t have any serious conversations with coaches for a while until the wintertime, but it didn’t take long for me to decide on Mount Vernon after talking with the head coach and visiting.”
Smith was a four-year varsity letter recipient in both soccer and track. In soccer, she was the leading scorer since her sophomore year and set a new school record for all-time career goals during her senior season with 76.
In track, she was 4th in the 100m at leagues as a sophomore and was a part of the 4x200m relay that is in the top five school records.
Academically, Smith has been on the honor roll all four years of high school, on top of taking College Credit Plus classes at Northwest State Community College. She was also a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Club, and Spanish Honor Society.
“I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had throughout high school, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.”
“I am also very excited to move forward into this next chapter of my life and to continue to do what I love as a soccer player.”