Buffington signs with Cornell College

WINFIELD — From Winfield-Mount Union to Mount Vernon, Bradie Buffington’s basketball career is set to continue.

Buffington signed her letter of intent on Monday to attend Cornell College, where she will play for the women’s basketball team. The decision comes shortly after a state tournament run and an All-State honor for the senior post.

“It was a long and hard thought process,” Buffington said. “But I'm happy to come to the school that will best fit me.”

Buffington says visiting the campus and talking with head coach Brent Brase helped her decide Cornell was the place to be in 2023.

“Coach Braze is the type of coach that I wanted to play with,” Buffington said. “The school is super nice, and I think I'll fit in best there.”

Buffington had a superb season in the 2022-23 high school season. She led the Wolves with 14 points per game, and also tallied 8.2 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game for a team that went 22-2 overall, won the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division with a 16-0 mark and advanced to the Class 1A state tournament.

“It was an experience that I always knew we could have,” Buffington said. “It took a lot of hard work. Seeing my whole team today was really heartwarming.”

She will be joining a team that went 10-14 overall last season an 9-7 in the Midwest Conference.

Buffington is also a major member of the WMU volleyball and girls track and field teams, but she says she is following her main passion into college.

“When I was younger, I always wanted to play basketball,” Buffington said “The passion for basketball grew over the years, with the coaches that I've had.”

Buffington doesn’t know her exact plan for a major yet, but wants to go into either special education or behavioral disorders when she gets into college.