Strand becomes the fifth player in the last three seasons to ink with WKU from the Atlanta region, joining current Lady Toppers Caitlin Hesse, Nahyo Jalajel, Bria Mosley and Allison Leone as signees from the area. Strand played with Jalajel on the Concorde Fire ECNL club, which reached as high as No. 22 in the national rankings with Strand on the roster. The tall forward sparked the Fire to back-to-back appearances in the ECNL National Championship Division Playoffs in the 2013-14 seasons and scored 32 goals while dishing out 26 assists in her four seasons with the club.
Strand participated in the U.S. Soccer Federation National Training Center in 2011 and was a member of Georgiars ODP team in 2009. With her senior season still to be played at North Gwinnett High School, Strand has scored 35 career goals and assisted on 31 others for the Bulldogs.
Neidell on Strand: "Katie has some incredible physical tools.n With great size, athleticism, and speed with and without the ball, Katie has the ability to turn it on and take over a game.n We are eager to get her in our environment and help her realize just how good she can be on a daily basis.n Like our other signees, Katie is a quality individual with a big personality."
