Student Athlete of the Week – Molly May

Xavier Prep Cross-Country, Track and Field

Many cross country and track athletes pick up the sport in high school. Not Molly May.

"Since my whole family is a family of runners, I've been running since probably third grade," said May, a senior at Xavier Prep.

"She came in pretty much as a ready-made package," said Aron Lyons, head coach for Xavier Prep cross-country and track and field.

The daughter of triathletes, May has been running cross country, and track and field at Xavier Prep since her freshman year. Coach Lyons says her consistency resembles that of a metronome. Despite the track season being shut down in March, May continued her early morning runs every day.

"It's really easy to do what's right when somebody's watching you and somebody's demanding of you, but it's even more important to do what's right and what's responsible and what will hold you accountable when nobody's watching, so hydrating, stretching, going to sleep at the right time, being a good communicator with your teammates, right. So she's really good at the shadow work," said Lyons.

Coach Lyons says he's seen May grow into a more vocal leader now as a senior, even helping him moderate some of the team's virtual meetings.

"She relishes the opportunity to, sort of, shepherd some of the younger students on our team now. She's really taken a nice role with that over the past few months with the pandemic," said Lyons.

Running is her main focus, earning all-state honors the past two years in cross country, but she also enjoys art. She credits her mom, twin sister and entire family for all of her success.

"We're all really competitive, so I think just having that good backbone of a big family that's always involved and motivating has been a huge aspect of my life," said May.

"She's really intentional and diligent about all that she does, whether it's in the classroom or out here on the field. She's got a good head on her shoulders. She's always positive. She's a great teammate, just a well-rounded kid. Works hard, has a great outlook and is really goal-oriented, is always driven by her goals and focused on the outcomes that she wants to create for herself," said Lyons.

One of those goals is to run at the next level while pursuing a degree in business. Her coach has all the confidence that she'll be able to achieve it.

NOMINATE A STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

• SENIOR: Must be a standout senior athlete
• STUDENT: Must have a 3.0 GPA or higher
• PERSON: Must be a leader in the community, person of high chracter

Send nominations to Blake.Arthur@KESQ.com or Taylor.Begley@KESQ.com

The Student-Athlete of the Week segment airs every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. on KESQ News Channel 3.