Kylie Kenny, who recently placed eighth at the cross country state meet, is more than just an exceptional multi-sport athlete. Kenny, a hard-working and focused athlete, acts as a role model for her teammates and works for the improvement of her team.

When not running cross country, Kenny plays lacrosse, runs track, and skis nordic. Most of her peers would describe her as caring and competitive.

When asked about her results at cross country state, Kenny responded, “I’m really proud of the team, because we [placed] 12th freshman year, and last year we were 7th, and this year, we were 5th.”

Cross country is principally an individual sport; however, athletes’ individual points are totaled to calculate the overall team score thus, determining team rankings. Kenny’s teammate, Edie Sherlock, has been running with Kylie since eighth grade. The two are also close friends who spend time together on and off the field.

“Through her competitiveness, she is able to emulate empathy because she knows what it is to be a good friend. She is always there for you no matter what, and she is always going to push you as a competitor,” Sherlock said.

Working towards the group’s overall improvement has been a priority for Kenny.

“[Maggie Woodrow and I] were having a really really rough day, and Kylie got behind us and was like, ‘come on guys, you can do it and just push yourself.’ Having her behind us [and] knowing that she was faster really really help[ed] because she is supporting the fact that she wants us to do well as a team,” said Sherlock.

Chris Kelleher, a teacher at AMS and the cross country coach, spoke on behalf of Kenny’s work ethic since freshman year. Unlike most other coaches, Coach Kelleher practices alongside his athletes.

“She tries really hard at whatever she does, whether it’s school, lacrosse, or running,” Keleher said.

Kenny not only improves her own skills but also cares about the overall development of the team.

“She hates to lose, she works really hard, and as a teammate, she wants the rest of the team to succeed. She is very encouraging and focused on getting them to perform to their best ability,” Keleher said. “I think that what a lot of people don’t recognize about anybody who is very good at what they do, is the hard work that goes into getting there. They see Kylie finishing at eighth, and they say, ‘Oh she is just a good runner.’ Well, she is a good runner, but she also works extremely hard to improve every day.”