Ever since the first grade, Katie Appleton has been playing basketball.

“My parents both got me into basketball,” Appleton said. “I wanted to play and I played on a team with my twin brother.” After first grade, she kept playing basketball and went to Apple Valley High School, where her team went to the state playoffs when she was a freshman. From there, she was recruited to play at WSU, and she loves it.

“I wanted to play in the Pac-10 and to make a difference,” she said. “I like Pullman because it is definitely a college town and I like the community atmosphere. It is a special place.” The goal for her and the team this season is to meet their potential and make the NCAA tournament. Appleton is getting close to a WSU milestone of 1,000 points. She is sitting on 957 points for her career and is headed toward becoming only the 12th player in school history to reach 1,000.

“It wasn’t really something I thought about but it will be nice. As long as we get a win, it doesn’t matter how many points I score,” Appleton said.

Appleton has played for WSU since her freshman year, starting in 25 games and appearing in all 28 Cougar games. That year, she made 50 3-pointers, tying the Cougar record for sixth most all-time in a single season. She is also five 3-pointers short of becoming WSU’s all-time career leader from behind the arc. For her career, she has shot 37 percent from the 3-point line.

Her sophomore year, she was the second leading scorer at 8.1 points per game and led the team with 76 assists. She scored in double digits seven times during that season.

Junior year, she was an all Pac-10 honorable mention and led the Cougars in scoring with 12 points per game. She had career highs against San Jose State, scoring 29 points, playing 43 minutes, and pulling down 11 rebounds.

“Katie Appleton is the leader of the team,” Head Coach June Daugherty said. “She is a four-year starter and is very bright and talented on the court.” But Katie isn’t all about basketball. In her free time, she likes outdoor activities such as fly fishing. Her favorite food is a Thanksgiving dinner and her favorite sport besides basketball is volleyball.

A senior majoring in movement studies, she wants to become a coach or work in physical therapy.

“My biggest influences are my parents and my brothers and sisters,” Appleton said. “I am very close to my family and I always trust them. They are great support.” After college, she plans to move to Nebraska with her fiance, where she will attend graduate school to get her master’s in health and fitness education.

Appleton doesn’t plan on playing basketball competitively after this year, but said she will keep playing basketball for fun.