Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer standout Alanna Pennington has verbally committed to play for Western Illinois.
“(I am) officially a Leatherneck,” Pennington tweeted on Labor Day.
Pennington said she visited several schools before making her decision. Former Ankeny player Malerie Rohweder is currently a senior on the Western Illinois squad, which is off to a 0-2-3 start this season after going 11-6-1 in 2021.
“I’ve been talking (to coaches) and visiting schools since last summer. Most of them were in the Summit or Missouri Valley leagues,” said Pennington, a senior. “It was a tough decision because each school had something unique about them that I liked! Western was close to home and I loved the team and coaching environment so it made me feel at home!”
Pennington, a midfielder, scored a team-high 14 goals and also contributed four assists while helping the Jaguars to a 19-3 record and the Class 3A state title last season. She was named to the Class 3A all-tournament team.
Pennington earned first-team all-state honors from both the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association and the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. She was a repeat pick to the CIML Iowa Conference first team.