MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Paige Poffenberger is proud of her time at the University of Kentucky.
“I feel very humbled looking back over my past four years at what God allowed me to accomplish,” she said. “I also feel very nostalgic and strange that Lexington is about to become just another stepping stone in my life. I really have felt at home down here. Overall, I’m proud of everything I have been apart of in Lexington. I truly feel like I left my mark in the way that I had hoped to.”
Despite everything happening with COVID-19, Poffenberger is happy with her graduation.
“My graduation itself was my roommate and I walking down our hallway in a cap and gown,” she said. “We looked pretty goofy, but I’m sure I’ll never forget that. Obviously, with all of the chaos going on, we were unable to have a formal graduation. It was still an exciting day, nonetheless.”
Attending the University of Kentucky for academics as a National Merit Scholar, Poffenberger tried out and was given a spot on the team as a walk-on in 2016.
“My most memorable day was easily the day I got called back from the women’s coaching staff after our initial tryout,” she said. “I was part of a lot of pretty amazing things while I was down there, like research conferences and mentoring programs, but that day sticks out to me the most. Really, that day changed what my college experience would look like permanently.”
As a freshman, Poffenberger played in 21 games. She scored 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had six steals.
As a sophomore, she played in 14 games. She set a career-high in free-throws made, with four against Georgia. She also tied her career high in assists and offensive rebounds with one each against Arkansas. She scored one point in six games. She scored a season-high four points on four made free throws, also grabbing two rebounds against Georgia.
Unfortunately, during her junior season, Poffenberger had to medically retire from the game of basketball.
“Truthfully, the choice to medically retire wasn’t so much a ‘choice’ as it was an inevitable fact,” she said. “I was struggling pretty badly with my health on the court, and doctors were unable to identify the underlying issue at the time. For my own safety, it was just the right choice.”
Poffenberger was able to remain with the team, however.
“There were many days I struggled sitting on the sidelines and watching the action,” she said. “I got that adrenaline feeling every time something big happened that crushed me a little. I was pretty flustered that such a huge triumph for me had gotten cut short. But, there were also plenty of days I was thankful to just still be around that group of people. In the end, I’m glad I got the closure of one final season regardless of how it looked. Realistically, God had my best intentions in mind through all of those issues. I don’t think I could have juggled a full time player my third and fourth year successfully while pursuing medical school, and all that pursuit entailed. In the end, it worked out exactly how it was supposed to.”
Poffenberger received her degree in biology with a minor in Spanish.
“I start medical school at WVU this fall,” she said long term, the ultimate life goal is to get into pediatrics and work overseas. For now, I’m just looking forward to coming home and chasing a new dream.”
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