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DOWAGIAC — Chieftain basketball fans will not have to travel very far to continue to watch Alanah Smith, who signed a National Junior College Athletic Association letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career at Southwestern Michigan College.

Smith, who earned first-team All-Lakeland Conference honors as a senior and first-team All-Wolverine Conference honors as a junior, signed with the Roadrunners Wednesday afternoon.

“We are thrilled to add Alanah to our 2023 recruiting class,” said SMC Coach Jeanine Wasielewski. “Dowagiac was the first high school I visited when we were starting up our program in the fall of 2021, and it is special to be able to sign a talented player like Alanah to our team. She is a strong, power forward that will be an inside presence on offense and defense. Alanah has improved and grown her game tremendously under Coach [Jason] Turner and she is a perfect fit for our program as a student-athlete.”

Smith, who helped lead the Chieftains to their first district championship in 14 years as a junior, averaged 11.3 points per game her senior season, which was fifth-best in southwest Michigan.

“Alanah has been a big part of the Dowagiac grls’ basketball program over the last four years,” Turner said. “It has been great to see her grow both on and off the court. We are so thankful for the impact she made, and we are so proud and excited to see her next year in a Roadrunners jersey.”

Wasielewski his hoping Smith can help the Roadrunners build on the success of their first season in more than 26 years. Southwestern Michigan College went 18-9 in its first season back on the hardwood, which included a 13-1 record at the 1st Source Bank Fieldhouse. The Roadrunners were 8-4 in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Western Conference, which was good for a third-place tie with Ancilla College.

With that third place finish, SMC qualified for the Great Lakes District A Tournament.