Three years ago, Noah Gray and Asher Alvey never could have imagined signing their college commitment letters together. Running for different high schools, the two formed a fierce rivalry, but that evaporated when Alvey joined Gray at Apollo High School last Spring.
Now, the duo helped the Eagles’ cross country team win a Region title this past Fall and are gearing up for the track season. On Thursday, sitting side by side, Gray signed to run at Murray State University, while Alvey is taking his talents to Western Kentucky University.
“If you had told me a few years ago, I would be signing with Asher, I would have called you crazy,” Gray said. “When we became teammates, we both knew we were going to go DI, and we were both going to be really successful.”
Alvey echoed his sentiments.
“We were pretty competitive against each other until I moved here last year,” Alvey said. “Being able to come together and have this moment was special. We planned this together.”
Gray joined Apollo’s XC team as an eighth grader, helping the Eagles win three Region titles. He also won an individual Region title in the mile as a sophomore. During his recruitment, he spoke with multiple schools, including the University of Evansville, but acknowledged Murray was the perfect fit.
“I went on an official visit there, and it felt like the school I was looking for,” Gray said. “It was a small school with a bigger school feel. I went to Bluegrass Running Camp a few times, and a lot of the teammates I am going to have next year at Murray, I met at camp already. I already knew a lot of people there, and I was familiar.”
While Murray State doesn’t have an official track team, Gray will still be competing in the sport at the collegiate level.
“I started track freshman year, and I fell in love with it because I felt I was better at it,” Gray said. “I knew wherever I wanted to do both. I never wanted to stop running. It’s just fun for me, and I love racing.”
He also plans to major in civil engineering, with a goal of staying close to home and working on projects such as bridges in the future.
Alvey’s foray into the cross country world began when he was in fifth grade, and two years later, he started competing in track. He emerged as a top runner at Daviess County High School, helping the Panthers win a Region championship in 2024, before joining Apollo High School for their 2025 Region title run.
During his strong junior year track season, Alvey acknowledged that his recruitment process really began to heat up. The senior spoke to multiple schools, including the University of Southern Indiana, but stated WKU had everything he was looking for.
“I really liked the environment, the coach, and I already knew a lot of the guys on the team, just from racing against them,” Alvey said. “It has the major I want and everything I could want. Even if I wasn’t running, I would enjoy my time there.”
While at WKU, Alvey will be competing in both running sports, with a focus on mid to long-distance events in track. In the classroom, he will be studying finance and political science, with plans to go to law school afterwards.
