A former Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer star is coming home.
After playing two seasons at Western Illinois, sophomore midfielder Alanna Pennington is transferring to Drake.
“I just wanted a change, and I felt that Drake was the competitive environment I was looking for,” said Pennington. “I loved the team and the fact that I was going to be closer to home again!”
Pennington helped the Leathernecks to a 3-8-5 record as a freshman in 2023, when she was one of five players to start all 16 games. She scored three goals, which tied for the team lead, and ranked sixth on the squad with 1,137 minutes played.
Pennington led the team in shot attempts (18) and shots on goal (15). She had a brace against Green Bay, including the game-winning goal, and also found the net in Western Illinois’ first-ever OVC win against Lindenwood.
Pennington played in 11 games and started 10 times as the Leathernecks struggled to a 1-14-1 mark this season. She took 13 shots, seven of them on goal, and recorded one assist while playing a total of 726 minutes.
Pennington was a two-time first-team all-state selection at Centennial, where she helped the Jaguars to the Class 3A state title in 2022. She scored a team-high 14 goals as a junior and was named to the Class 3A all-tournament team.
The Bulldogs showed interest in Pennington during high school, but at the time staying close to home wasn’t a top priority.
“I chose Western Illinois because of the team and coaching environment; it felt like a home away from home,” she said in 2023. “The college is the perfect distance from home, and it also had my majors of interest.”
After winning just four games in two seasons, though, Pennington was ready to move on. And the chance to return to central Iowa appealed to her.
“Drake recruited me out of high school, so it was nice to know they still had interest the second time around,” Pennington said. “It made the recruiting process a lot easier for me!”
