Katie Cotten signed to Maryville University on Friday Jan. 20, 2023. This followed her commitment on Nov. 20, 2022. Cotten will be continuing her soccer career at Maryville with plans to major in Teaching English as a Second Language and a minor in Spanish. 

Maryville University is a private college located in Eastern Tennessee, 15 miles outside of Knoxville. They are a nationally ranked institution for higher learning and have many successful sports teams. The University’s mascot is the Scot!

Cotten was very successful in her time at Coffee County. She began her freshman year as a varsity player. The following year, in her sophomore season, she got First Team: All District. Then, in her junior season, she again got First Team: All District and Second Team: All Region.

In her travel soccer season leading up to her senior year, she played for TSC ECNL 04/05, and they had a long, winning season. She finished her high school soccer career with another First Team: All District and First Team: All Region. 

Cotten has not only received many district and regional awards, but team ones as well. Her freshman year, she was awared Rookie of the Year. Sophomore and junior seasons, she got Offensive Player of the Year. 

During her senior year, she was given Offensive Player of the Year, Coaches’ Choice Award, and Team MVP. These awards come after years of practice; Cotten began playing soccer when she was 3 years old. 

When looking back at her years playing high school soccer, she says her favorite part was, “Playing the sport I love but making lifelong friends in the process. I will cherish all of the memories I made with the girls on the team.” She tells her younger teammates, “Don’t take it for granted, just have fun and make the most of it.” 

At college, she hopes to, “Grow as a player and person, using my mistakes to learn and grow… With hard work I hope I am able to earn a starting spot.” She also says, “I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to become a Scot.”