Northwestern Announces First Class of 2026 Recruits

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Northwestern College has announced the signings of three recruits to its 2026-27 class.

Women's Basketball
Harley Koth, a guard from Beresford, South Dakota, has announced her commitment to the Northwestern College women's basketball team. Koth comes from Beresford High School where she made significant contributions to her team.

During her most recent season, Koth accumulated 138 points, 118 rebounds, 40 assists, 52 steals, and 17 blocks. Over her high school career, she recorded 345 points, 436 rebounds, 113 assists, 127 steals, and 49 blocks. Her athletic prowess extends beyond basketball; she earned All-Conference honors in cross country for the 2022-2023 season, was named to the Softball All State Team in 2024, and received basketball honors from the Big East Conference, including Honorable Mention in 2023 and 3rd Team in 2024.

Academically, Koth has excelled as well. She plans to major in nursing at Northwestern College, where she has been recognized for her academic achievements as a member of the National Honor Society from 2024 to 2026, and has consistently appeared on the Honor Roll from 2022 to 2026.

Koth's decision to join Northwestern College was driven by her desire to pursue both her academic and athletic goals in an environment that supports her faith. "I chose Northwestern College because it supports both my academic goals and athletic ambitions. Northwestern wants their students to grow in their faith while wanting them to succeed in and outside the classroom and that is exactly what I'm looking for in a college," Koth stated.

Koth is the daughter of Lindsey and Luke Koth, and sister to Brock and Jade. She plans to study nursing at Northwestern.

Esports
Drew Ingallinera has announced his intention to join the Northwestern Overwatch team, bringing his experience as a four-year member of the Overwatch team from Cary Grove High School. An accomplished student, Ingallinera was consistently on the High Honor Roll during his time at Cary Grove High School in Cary, Ill.

In addition to his esports achievements, Ingallinera plans to major in Cybersecurity at Northwestern College. He is the son of Paul and Jen Ingallinera, and brother to Xander.

Volleyball
Courteney Schmidt has announced her intention to join the Northwestern volleyball team, bringing with her a strong volleyball background from Sioux Center High School.

Throughout her high school career, Schmidt demonstrated her skills with impressive career stats, including 510 kills, 66 blocks, 54 aces, 316 digs, and 19 assists. In her most recent season, she recorded 143 kills, 15 blocks, 29 aces, 130 digs, 7 assists, a hitting efficiency of .279, and a serving efficiency of 85.0%.

Schmidt has a longstanding connection to Northwestern, having participated in the volleyball camps there for many years. Her decision to join the team was influenced by the college's excellent academics, outstanding volleyball program, and welcoming atmosphere.

I have been around Northwestern for most of my life. I have attended the volleyball camps here for many years and had always had the feeling that I belonged at Northwestern," Schmidt stated. "What made me fully choose Northwestern was the excellent academics, the outstanding volleyball team and coaches, and the welcoming atmosphere. I feel that at Northwestern I will be pushed to do my best and use my God-given abilities in my academics and on the volleyball team. Ultimately, it checked all of my boxes in what I was looking for in a school and a volleyball team."

In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Schmidt is a member of the National Honor Society and has been named to the Honor Roll six times.

Schmidt plans to pursue a major in exercise science. She is the daughter of Steve and Steph Schmidt, and sister to Kaelyn.

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