LAKEVILLE, IN. - LaVille's Owen Smith has signed to continue his academic and athletic career at Wabash College. "I think the first time I knew about Wabash was in July and they contacted me about playing football," Smith said when asked about his college road. "I went down and toured campus and got a feel for the facilities and it wasn't really until November-December when I really got interested in Wabash. I really love the campus and the environment. The coaches have been great. "I've had the opportunity to go down several times to Wabash and every single visit has been great. I think after a long conversation with a lot of close people, family and friends, I really think that Wabash is the place for me and I'm really excited to play football and run track." Smith has been a three-sport athlete at LaVille, playing football, along with basketball and track and field. He played wingback on offense and cornerback on defense for the Lancer Football team. Smith was a part of a senior class that went 34-9 during its four years of football. Included during the last four years have been the school’s first-ever Hoosier North Athletic Conference football championship in 2022 and an Indiana High School Athletic Association title in 2021. Only the graduating class of 2017 has more football wins in a four-year span at 35. The 6'2" 180 pound wingback and cornerback led the Lancers in receiving. He caught 14 passes for 386 yards and six touchdowns. As a dual threat, Smith ran for 285 yards or an 8.1 yards per carry average and two TDs. On defense, Smith was in on 40 tackles in 2022. "For a long time in my life I was just kind of set on going to Purdue," explained Smith. "It just seemed to make the most sense to me. And I probably was going to Purdue up until I started to get interested in Wabash. For a long time things were between Purdue and Wabash and over time things just leaned more toward Wabash. "I think the overall environment is what peaked out to me," continued Smith. "Every time I went down to Wabash there was just a feeling that I got the more I went to Wabash. Purdue is a good school, I just feel more at home and in the community at Wabash." According to Smith, he plans to double major in computer science and computational mathematics. A member of the top 10 academically in the Class of 2023, Smith will also end up with 10 varsity letters. For a while, Smith didn't know if football would be in his future. "In junior high I broke my collarbone in seventh and eighth grade," Smith explained when asked about his football career. "So that was pretty mentally tough. It was technically the third time I broke my collarbone. First I broke my left when I was younger, then my left in seventh and then my right again in eighth grade. So I broke my collar bones three times. That was mentally draining for football. You play football for two years and you break your collarbone and you go through a lot of hardships. It was a tough experience. "I was just kind of set on not playing football," continued Smith. "It made the most sense for me healthwise. It felt more right to just stay on the sidelines. I talked with (former head football coach) Will (Hostrawser) about it three times before I ultimately decided to do the Notre Dame 7-on-7 football camp. I had a pretty good experience there and I decided to stick it out. I got hurt again my freshman year, this time it was my hip. But I felt, at that time, that it was my duty to be a part of the team. The guys I was surrounded with, it was a family. Even though I got hurt, I just felt like I could do more and I just kept with it. I really only had three years to play football. I had one season cut short due to COVID. Every time I go out there I do my best to battle and I just want to play with my teammates." The fall of 2022 will be a season that Smith and his teammates will always remember. LaVille finished with the first-ever unbeaten regular season in football and won the first Hoosier North Athletic Conference football championship. "It was a great experience," Smith said when asked about the historic season. "There is nothing I would change about that season. I wouldn't do anything differently. The best thing about LaVille football was my teammates. They made it an awesome environment every time I went out on the field. I'm laughing more than I am playing. My teammates make it an awesome feeling. I play for them more than for myself." There is one common denominator between LaVille and Wabash. "One word I would use to summarize it is brotherhood," said Smith. "It's the same feeling at Wabash, it's a brotherhood playing football. Football is a really tough game when you are out there mentally and physically. When you are playing football, you need guys around you that make it a good time and are willing to put their life on the line. That is a little bit of an exaggeration but you give everything you've got. And I think this group did it. We had a good time joking around, but when we needed to we got more serious than anyone out on the field." Wabash College is a Division III institution and participates in the North Coach Athletic Conference. Other members include DePauw University, Denison University, Hiram College, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wabash College, Wittenberg College, College of Wooster. Then following football in the fall, Smith is excited to participate in track and field for Wabash College. "Track is probably one of my favorite sports," said Smith. "I love to compete and I think that track does a great job at it. I enjoy racing and racing is fun, especially at short sprints. My freshman year was canceled because of COVID so I've only had three years to do this. Just being able to compete and trying to get better every single day was awesome. I still feel like I have more left in the tank. I don't think I did the best I could do senior and junior years. I am hoping that I can do better at the next level." He says that he is not sure what event(s) he will participate in at Wabash College. "I really do not have a clue what (event) I am going to do," admitted Smith. "Trying to be a jack of all trades. Whatever is best suited for me and the team is what I want to do. I've thought about being a decathathlete. Don't know if that will work well at Wabash. I've had some experience at several different events and I think my skill set would be a fit for a decathlete. There is a lot of training I would have to do." As we closed our time together, Smith was most appreciative of Lancer Nation over the years. "The LaVille fans have been awesome," concluded Smith. "And I thank them for coming to the football games and track meets. They are huge supporters. As an athlete you just have to appreciate whatever you are doing. Every sport you do is not just about yourself, it's about the whole school. And when you are out there competing for something greater than yourself you are going to do better." Founded in 1832, Wabash is a private liberal arts college whose mission is to educate men to think critically, act responsibly, lead effectively, and live humanely. The College sits on 65 wooded acres minutes from the heart of downtown Crawfordsville, a Stellar Communities city of approximately 15,000. Wabash has built on its rich and storied history that began when a group of Dartmouth-educated ministers founded the College on what was then the western frontier. For nearly 200 years, Wabash has educated countless doctors, lawyers, business leaders, teachers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Wabash's 870 students come from 31 states and 19 countries. The Student Senate manages an annual budget of approximately $350,000, which it allocates to more than 70 clubs and organizations. Student conduct is governed by the Gentleman's Rule, which says, "The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off the campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen." Wabash men take great pride in learning and singing the nation's longest fight song, "Old Wabash." Wabash’s faculty is nationally ranked for its accessibility, and all of the College’s full-time professors have the highest degrees in their fields. Wabash offers 27 majors and an additional nine minors, nearly all of which are ranked among the top 17 percent of the nation’s 1,400 four-year colleges with many in the top 1 percent. Innovative WabashX programs provide skills and experiences that catapult Wabash graduates into top positions in business, as well as graduate and professional schools. Wabash’s outcomes are exceptional: 100% of the men in the Class of 2021 were settled in their first destinations within six months of graduation — at places like Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Netflix, and Eli Lilly and Company, and in graduate schools like Columbia, Duke, Stanford, and UCLA. Much of that success is due to Wabash’s nationally ranked Alumni Network, Internship Program, and Career Services Office. According to Payscale.com’s Return on Investment Report, Wabash College graduates earn an average mid-career salary of $143,800 — that’s tops among all schools in the Great Lakes Colleges Association and Association of Midwest Colleges.