Ashford Signs with Iowa Wesleyan

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – The list of team/individual awards is quite impressive for Grapeland senior Keizion Ashford and on Friday afternoon, May 7, all the sweat, hard work and effort paid off as Keizion signed his National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

“Any chance we get to honor someone who has put in the work and the effort it takes to be a college athlete, we want to make that a special event. Any chance we get to honor a student who will pursue their education at the next level, we want to make that in to a big event,” Coach Blake Doughty said prior to Keizion signing to play for the Tigers.

Asked how Iowa Wesleyan heard of him or Grapeland for that matter, Keizion said, “I really don’t know. I’m guessing it was my coach (Doughty). I didn’t have anyone else really looking at me.”

When asked what it takes to reach the next level, Keizion replied, “It takes hard work. It really does take hard work and dedication.”

“I want to thank Coach Doughty and Mrs. (Katie) Doughty for their help. I also want to thank the community here as well. It seems everybody was willing to help,” he said.

According to the college’s website, “Founded in 1842, Iowa Wesleyan University is a fully accredited, coeducational liberal arts university. IW has a rich history of innovation in education; is a pioneer in the sciences; and at the forefront of educational opportunities for women. Iowa Wesleyan has been a leader in service-learning with students participating 100% in internships as a part of curriculum.”

The Tigers compete in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) in all sports except football, which competes in the upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).  

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].