Lewis County Senior Olivia “Liv” Campbell has signed on with Wittenberg University to play basketball.
Campbell started playing basketball as early as she could. Having seen the older kids playing ball in the gym, enjoying the game of basketball and the competitive nature of the sport, Campbell was hooked immediately.
“I just saw the older girls playing in the gym, the smiles on their faces made me realize that I wanted to be a part of that.” said Campbell.
She picked up the sport early on in her middle school career, playing for the Lewis County middle school team all the way up until she was able to hit the court with the Lewis County Lady Lions varsity basketball team. For the past five years, she has made a name for herself on both ends of the court, racking up 320 total points this season alone to be the second best scorer for the Lady Lions. Campbell would also complete 155 rebounds this season, making her the teams third best rebounder.
She would also finish her senior season third overall for Lewis county in free throws, scoring 107 of her 138 attempted, for a 77.5 free throw percentage. This put her at 35th place for free throws in the state, coming in right behind Barren County’s Abigail Varney.
With Campbell continuing her basketball career with Wittenberg University, she hopes to experience new aspects of the sport that she wasn’t able to in High School. What excites her most about getting to play for a college team is the ability to play against other teams at a much higher level. She noted that in High School basketball felt like it was put on the back burner.
“I feel like in college you take a deeper dive into the sport, with multiple practices a day, film sessions and just the extra competitive nature of it, I’m really excited to get to take part in that.” said Campbell.
Campbell said that she has always been a competitive person, and the game of basketball lets her channel that energy. Competing against like-minded individuals in the game of basketball quickly became one of her favorite aspects of the sport. Her drive to improve both herself and her skill on the court has her excited for her new opportunities, and she is looking forward to continuing to play for a college team.
Although she will be a member of the women’s Wittenberg Tigers basketball team, that isn’t why she decided to commit to Wittenberg.
“I took a tour of the campus and just fell in love with it. The classrooms, the facilities, everything about it just seemed perfect to me.” said Campbell.
Campbell has earned a scholarship to the university based on her academics. She will be majoring education, and hopes to go on to be an elementary school teacher, as well as a special education teacher. She said that she really enjoys helping others succeed. Her affinity for helping others has shown both in the classroom and on the basketball court.
“I peer tutored in our special ed classroom, and I just fell in love with it. I love our students, and just really enjoy helping them learn.” said Campbell.
Campbell will be graduating from Lewis County high school later this year in May, and will head north to Wittenberg University in Springfield Ohio in August to begin her college career.
“I just want to become a better version of myself.”