One of southwest Missouri’s top prep athletes, Katie Pritchard, came to Drury from Waynesville, Mo. in the fall of 2008. The multi-sport star did not miss a beat and she was a force to be reckoned with from the moment she stepped onto the Drury campus. Over the next five years she fashioned one of the most illustrious athletic careers possible. Katie played for the Lady Panthers in 2008-09 and 2009-10. She was sidelined by a knee injury for the entire 2010-11 season but returned to the hardwood for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. Katie’s accomplishments on the basketball floor set her apart. But before commenting on that, there is more.
Many may have forgotten that Katie also played two years for the Drury soccer team, in the 2009 and 2010 campaigns. Both of her Drury coaches, head soccer coach Alf Bilbao and head Lady Panther coach Steve Harold, echoed similar sentiments when reflecting on her outstanding athletic ability. “Katie was a super athlete and a tremendous competitor” coaches Bilbao and Harold agreed.
Katie helped lead Drury to back-to-back GLVC soccer championship tournaments. In 2009 she earned Great Lakes Valley All Conference soccer honors and was second on the team in goals (9) and total points (23). That team finished with a 13-6 overall record and was 10-4 in the GLVC. The 2010 Panther soccer team also made the GLVC soccer tournament. Katie played her final soccer game on October 31, 2010. A knee injury that fall ultimately sidelined her for the entire 2010-11 basketball season.
Though sidelined for that one year, Katie put together one of the best four-year careers ever enjoyed by a Lady Panther. A model of consistency, Katie averaged in double figures every year and her teams fashioned an impressive 81-38 record in her four seasons. A team player first and foremost, Katie led the Lady Panthers to three NCAA-II national tournaments: 2009, 2010 and 2012. The 2010 team made it to the NCAA-II Sweet 16, finishing with a 28-7 record. That year she played/started all 35 games while averaging 14.3 points per game. She led the GLVC, and the entire nation, in three-point field goal percentage making 93 of 184 attempts. That translates into an amazing .505 shooting percentage. A Third Team All-GLVC pick, Katie was also named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament team.
Sidelined in 2010-11, Katie helped the Lady Panthers to a 20-8 record in 2011-12 and, for a third time, reach the NCAA-II National Tournament. She was a First Team All-GLVC pick and was again the nation’s top three-point shooter. In 2012-13 Katie averaged 14.6 points per game was a First Team All-GLVC pick for a second year in a row. At the conclusion of her four years as a Lady Panther, Katie was ranked #1 in three-pointers made (255), three-pointers attempted (570) and career three-point percentage (.447). The three-time Great Lakes Valley All Conference selection now ranks fourth on the Lady Panther all-time scoring list with 1,541 career points and sixth in assists (317). Without a doubt, Katie is one of the most gifted all-around athletes ever to grace the Drury campus. But she is more than just a superior athlete and her Lady Panther coach may have summed it up best. “Katie was a great athlete. But she is an even better person who comes from a great and supportive family,” stated Steve Harold. “She has tremendous knowledge of the game which, not surprisingly, has spring boarded her to a career in coaching. She will be a great mentor to all those that she coaches.”
Katie served as the Lady Panther assistant coach the past four years. This past May 31 she accepted the position of head basketball coach at Marshfield (Mo.) High School. Current Lady Panther head coach, Molly Miller, had high praise for Katie as an athlete and as a coach. “Katie’s dedication to the Drury program as a player and as a coach is without parallel. We couldn't be more proud and excited for her as she fulfills her dream of becoming a head coach. The Marshfield basketball program is rich with tradition, and I know she will lead that group with the same amount of passion and dedication that she showed as an athlete and as a coach here at Drury."
Katie received her undergraduate (May 18, 2013/Elementary Education) and graduate (May 11, 2018/Masters in Special Education) degrees from Drury. One of Drury’s top all-around athletes, Katie will always be remembered by the Drury faithful. On this day, Saturday, December 1, 2018, the Drury Community, along with family, friends, coaches, teammates and fans, share in Katie Pritchard being forever enshrined as a member of the Drury Sports Hall of Fame (Class of 2018).
