McKeon a leader in Sage athletics

Ever since she set foot on the Sage Hill School campus, senior Katie McKeon has been a leader in more ways than one.

In her first few months at Sage Hill in the fall of 2004, McKeon was already making her mark. She was the first cross country runner in Lightning history to qualify for the CIF State Championships, after finishing fourth at the CIF Southern Section Division V finals.

“It was a pretty new experience,” Lightning cross country coach Nate Miller said. “She was definitely groundbreaking in that way, and the girls have been back [to state] ever since. She’s really the cornerstone of our program. Before she came out, there were maybe six or seven girls out and nobody was really all that serious. She came in and raised the bar. Just an awesome kid; she’s made a huge difference.”

McKeon still remembers that week and what it was like.

“It was really nerve-wracking,” she said. “I ended up getting sick that week, and I started the race [at state] but I didn’t end up finishing it. I was sick, but I also think it was overwhelming too. It was just me, my mom and my dad and Mr. Miller.

“But I think that moment taught me a lot, too, about not giving up. I grew up a lot from that.”

“Give up” isn’t really in her vocabulary. McKeon has been playing basketball since she was 8 years old, softball since she was 5 and running cross country since she was in the sixth grade. She also played soccer growing up.

Her father, John McKeon, and mother, Rebecca Gomez, have served as coaches over the years for Katie and her two older brothers, Brian and Matt.

“Sports run in our family,” Katie McKeon said. “I think that’s the time we bond the most, when we’re all playing sports together.”

At Sage Hill, McKeon has been a three-sport athlete, and her personal accomplishments in each sport are impressive.

The two-time Academy League MVP in cross country, McKeon, a three-year varsity captain, has finished in the top 15 in the Division V finals every year.

In softball, McKeon has been a Daily Pilot Dream Team selection each of the past two years for the Lightning as a shortstop. Last year, the two-time Academy League first-team selection batted .498 in leading the Lightning to the Division IV playoffs.

The numbers aren’t as gaudy for McKeon in basketball, where she and her teammates will find out their first-round opponent in the Division IV-AA playoffs when brackets are released today. McKeon, who has been the starting point guard since midway through her freshman year, is averaging 4.6 points per game and 4.8 assists for Sage Hill.

But McKeon gets it. Playing sports have never been about the numbers for her, anyway. She said it’s the team has always been amazing. McKeon still keeps in touch with the seniors from her sophomore year, players like Haywood Wright and Rebecca Hembarsky who also helped the Lightning advance all the way to the Division IV-A semifinals.

“The girls have always been great,” McKeon said. “My role on the team has just changed every year. Freshman year, I was the little one who everyone else took care of. But now that I’m a senior, I feel like I have to take care of the other girls. It’s not like they have a bunch of problems, but I usually am herding everyone around to make sure they’re at practice on time and stretching when they need to be.”

Lightning girls’ basketball coach Lou Silverman knows how invaluable McKeon has been to his program. It’s why he called her one of the most intuitive leaders he’s ever been around.

“I’m not just saying in high school sports, I’m saying in life,” Silverman said. “She’s a huge asset to the school, to the program, to the coaching staff on and off the court ... She has a great leadership repertoire. Depending on the situation and the person, she has a very right feel for what the situation calls for. It’s almost like this very intuitive calculation that says, ‘Hey, here’s what to do.’

“When I was talking to Sage in the interview process about coming here, I met with the administration, but I also met with Katie and [2007 Sage Hill graduate] Kaitlin Tyre. Even in that process, you could see that Katie took a lot of pride in the basketball program. She had a very high level of interest in trying to make sure that whoever was coming into the program was a good fit.”

Senior teammate Jordan Hidalgo compared to McKeon’s role to that of “team mom.”

“She brings us all together,” Hidalgo said. “She makes us act like a team, rather than one person just doing their own thing. If you’re having a bad day, she’ll be like, ‘What’s wrong?’ She’ll be there for you ... She likes being in charge. It’s her thing to be in charge, but not in a bad way. If you don’t know what to do, Katie will take care of it.”

McKeon will similarly be a good fit for whatever college she’ll attend. She has a 3.91 cumulative grade-point average and said she’s waiting to hear back from her top four college choices of Stanford, Cornell, Georgetown and Boston College.

Tough to pick, just like it’s tough to pick her favorite sport of the three she plays.

“It kind of depends on what season I’m in,” McKeon said. “I think softball’s probably my favorite sport, but basketball’s always been the closest team, so I’ve enjoyed it the most at Sage. And cross country’s great because it’s individual and team; it’s such a great mix. Definitely all three sports have their moments ... If I get to play, I’m happy.”

Miller, a math teacher at Sage, would have been happy to have McKeon a class, but it’s never happened. Still, he’s seen her leadership on the cross country path, the basketball court or the softball diamond.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t [had in her a class],” Miller said. “I always hoped that I would. She’s just one of those kids who you know will be successful in life, no matter what she chooses to do ... She’s one of my favorite kids I’ve ever coached.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at [email protected].