McCracken County standout soccer star, Katelyn Heider is embracing the next chapter of life by playing college soccer at Union University while perusing a career in nursing.
Plenty of soccer talent is on display in western Kentucky, but few get the opportunity or want the opportunity to play at the next level, for Heider, she says once the opportunity presented itself she knew she couldn’t pass it up.
“I actually reached out to the soccer coach there after I had decided that I wanted to go to Union,” Heider said. “I asked if I could attend a camp and I’ve been going to camps and practices ever since.”
Since her freshman season with the Lady Mustangs, she has been among the top scores and assist leaders on the team. Throughout her four years of high school soccer she tallied 69 goals and 42 assists. Her sophomore through senior seasons she knocked in 20, 22 and 20 goals respectively.
Her senior year she was named the Region One Player of the Year and was named to the KHSAA All-State 1st Team, was named to multiple All-Region teams and was a team captain her senior season.
Heider credits the Lady Mustangs soccer program and the coaching staff for helping her get to this point mentally and physically.
“Coach Lane has been an amazing coach,” she said. “He has led us to district championships and the first round of the state tournament. All of the coaches at McCracken County have helped me so much. I’ve grown in the weight room because of them and everything they have done has helped prepare me to play college soccer.”
Union University is a D2 school in Jackson, TN competing in the Gulf South Conference. This past season they went 10-6-2, lost in the semifinals of their conference championship and received an invite to the D2 Women’s National Soccer Championships in Pensacola, FL.
The coaching staff there has already set high expectations for the incoming freshman, and Heider is up for the task.
“They are a great D2 soccer program with a lot of older girls, so they could only recruit a few upcoming freshman,” Heider said. “They definitely told me that I’ll get some playing time my first season, but my main role will be to work as hard as I can to get stronger and faster to play at that level.”