Seven senior student-athletes at Leo High School fulfilled their committments to playing college athletics by signing their national letters of intent play at the next level.
Five softball players from and three volleyball players put pen to paper during a National Signing Day Ceremony at the school.
Ashley Miller will play softball at Michigan State University. The pitcher finished 13-1 on the mound as a junior, with 137 strikeouts, 10 walks and a 0.30 ERA. At the plate, she batted .493 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. She earned 1st team All-Northeast 8 Conference honors in back-to-back seasons. She plans to study business
Aaliyah Andrews will play softball for Indiana University. She has a .510 career average with 104 hits, 12 home runs, and 62 RBI in 3 seasons. She was also named an All-NE8 outfielder the last 2 seasons. She plans to study human biology.
Kennedy Shade will play softball at Indiana State University. The repeat 1st team All-Conference shortstop had a 0.931 fielding percentage. As a junior, she put up a .481 batting average with 38 hits, 3 home runs and 35 RBI. She is undecided on a major.
Emma Embry is joining the softball program at Davenport University, an NAIA school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Embry played in 15 games a junior, tallying 3 hits on 7 at-bats. She hit 1 home run and had 6 RBI. She plans to study occupational therapy.
Brooke Smith signed her national letter of intent with the women's volleyball program the University of Louisville, an NCAA Division I program that plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference. An outside hitter, Smith scored 449 kills, 222 digs, 51 aces and 32 blocks this season. She was named honorable mention All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, 1st team All-State and 1st team All-Northeast 8 Conference. She played her club volleyball at Empowered Volleyball Academy, and her 18 Elite Red team placed second at junior nationals last spring. She is undecided on a major, but has interest in the medical field.
Ryan Rednour will play her college volleyball at the Southern Illinois University, an NCAA Division I school in the Missouri Valley Conference. The libero & outside hitter earned 2nd team All-State and 1st team All-NE8. This past season, she scored 354 digs, 24 assists and 55 aces. Rednour plays club volleyball at Empowered. She plans to study business.
Nevaeh Shugart is joining the women's volleyball program at Ferris State University, an NCAA Division II school in Big Rapids, Michigan. Shugart played outside hitter and opposite side hitter with 230 kills, 33 digs and 17 blocks as a senior. She earned 1st team All-NE8 honors. Shugart plays club volleyball at Empowered. She plans to study elementary education.
Collectively, the 7 girls represent fantastic athletic achievement of Lady Lions sports in the last several years. The softball team finished as 4A state runners-up in June, and this group of seniors have won one semi-state title, two regional titles, 3 straight sectional titles and one NE8 title. The volleyball team clinched its third-straight conference championship in October.
Leo is one of 26 high schools that partners with Parkview Sports Medicine for athletic training, nutrition, sports performance training, athletic rehabilitation and other orthopedic and sports medicine services for Lions student-athletes. Learn more at ParkviewSportsMedicine.com.