All Scholastic Sports Team 2024: Katherine Bounds

COLLINSVILLE, Miss. (WTOK) – Katherine Bounds is one of the final members of the 2024 All Scholastic Sports Team.

Bounds will graduate from West Lauderdale High School in May as a top-10 academic in her class and as an All-District athlete.

Bounds has run cross-country for six years. Tennis is her primary sport, but she picked up cross-country to help stay in shape during the fall.

Although both sports focus on individual results, Bounds has a heart for teamwork and serving others.

“It really doesn’t matter what your grade in this class is, or you know, how well your sports team does,” said Bounds. “In the end, it’s not about that at all. It’s about how you make others feel and the impact that you have,” she said.

Bounds finds ways to give back to those around her in all aspects of her life. Whether that be by being a helpful teammate, mentoring younger girls in school, or giving back through her church.

“She gives to herself last,” said Missy Atkinson, West Lauderdale’s cross-country coach. “She holds herself at such a high standard but she also is so caring and thoughtful and puts everybody else before her,” said Atkinson.

Bounds is a Girl-Talk mentor for middle school students at West Lauderdale. Every Monday morning she and her mentee meet before school to spend time together and go over a lesson for the day. She also likes to get out in the community with her church to give to those in need.

“I think some of these clubs just helps the school all around and it helps to make people feel important,” said Bounds. “Being involved in things for people— it definitely makes you connect with people that you maybe wouldn’t have before, and I think it helps people feel valued and important,” she said.

While Bounds has the heart to help those around her, she also has high goals set for herself. She will play collegiate tennis at Meridian Community College while getting her associate’s degree. She plans on transferring to Southern Miss University after that to complete a degree in nursing.

“You can see it on the court that she is an amazing athlete but she’s also perfected the game,” said West Lauderdale’s tennis coach, Amy Fairchild. “It’s hard to beat her, especially in doubles, she’s a great doubles player.”

Bounds and her doubles partner will soon compete in the Individual State Tennis Tournament. They qualified for the tournament after a strong tennis season from the entire Knight’s girl’s team. The girl’s team also qualified for the State Tournament, and will soon play in the third round of the playoffs.

Now that graduation is just a few weeks away, Bounds is cherishing these last few matches with her high school teammates.

“Every time I go to practice I’m like – ‘okay, this is the last time I get to do this with these people’… especially now that we’re in the playoffs, every time I go to match it’s like- this could be the last one,” Bounds said.

For Bounds, one of the perks of starting her career at MCC is how close it is to home.

“They have a wonderful tennis community,” she said. “It’s home for me. I can still meet new people and have that college experience without having to move on and be thrown out there by myself.”

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