Ottumwa -- Kelcie Loughren is the latest Iowa high school soccer standout to sign a letter of intent with Indian Hills.

Loughren is a forward who has experience playing at Cedar Falls High School as well as the Cedar Valley Select team. She has also played basketball and volleyball at CFHS and her list of high school activities includes the senior and women's leadership groups, Mentors in Violence Protection (MVP) and the Tiger Pals mentoring program.

Loughren says she picked Indian Hills to continue her education and soccer career because it was a place where she felt comfortable and at home. "Everyone was so welcoming," she said, "and I clicked with the team right away. I'm excited to meet new people and experience college life. Coach Steph has built a great women's soccer program and I'm very excited to be a part of that and help the team be the best it can be."

Gale said the first thing she noticed about the latest IHCC signee is her personality off the field, around her teammates. "Kelcie is very positive, outgoing and vocal. She shows leadership qualities and has the ability to be who she is and not worry about what other people think. She will lead people in the right direction and I believe over her time here at IHCC will continue to grow these qualities. Her soccer ability is just as positive as her off the field qualities and she will continue to learn the game at the college level."

The IHCC coach continued, "Kelcie is very dedicated and truly loves the game of soccer, so she has a passion which reflects her personality. She will push herself and set goals and standards and that's all I can ask for as a coach."

Loughren will join three other players from the Cedar Valley Soccer Association -- Emily Sands, Megan McElmeel and Allie Schaefer -- who will be her classmates and teammates at Indian Hills. Olivia Pargeon and Stephanie Faust, also from the CVSA, were all-region soccer performers for Indian Hills as freshmen last fall. "This automatically strengthens our team," Gale said, "as all these girls know and understand each other, which will make for an easier transition for them. I have no doubt that with Kelcie's ability to make great runs off the ball and to find herself in goal-scoring opportunities that she will be very successful here at IHCC."