Photos courtesy of Will Matthews
Samantha Kass began her Columbus Academy athletic career playing field hockey after having just recovered from a torn ACL she suffered in eighth grade during lacrosse. During her freshman year, she decided to focus solely on field hockey. Unfortunately, at the end of the field hockey season, Kass tore her ACL for a second time.
After two torn ACLs, many student athletes would have called it quits. Kass isn’t just any student athlete though. She persevered and became one of central Ohio’s most celebrated athletes during her time at Columbus Academy, and her high school athletic career culminated in her selection as the Columbus Dispatch and Motorists Insurance Top Female Scholar-Athlete this year.
“It's such an honor, and I'm extremely humbled to have received the award. I really owe it to all of my coaches and teammates for all that they have done to help me throughout the years to get me to this point in my life,” says Kass. “If someone would have told me that after tearing my second ACL within six months during my freshman year and that I would win this award three years later, I would have laughed and not believed them.”
Kass was a three-sport athlete competing in track, swimming and field hockey, and during her time at Columbus Academy she served as a leader in all three: captain of the state championship field hockey team senior year; MVP of the track team junior year, Viking Award winner for the track team senior year, a leadership recognition given by the coaches; and two-time MVP of the swim team.
Kass also received the Margaret Plessinger Cup senior year, an honor bestowed at Columbus Academy to the female athlete who contributed the largest amount to athletics in her grade.
“Each team taught me different values and skills to be a better leader and athlete, and I was able to apply that knowledge across all three of my sports,” Kass says. “I was extremely humbled to receive the award as there are many standout athletes in my class.”
While these awards and accolades are meaningful to Kass, she expresses great pride in being more than just an athlete and was recognized by many academic groups: the Academic All-Ohio recipient for every sport and every season she played throughout high school; the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Academic All-American during her junior and senior years; and the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Academic All American during her senior year.
Outside the classroom and off the field, Kass played another important role this past year as she and a friend chaired the True Beauty Fashion Show, a student-run event featuring models of all sizes, shapes, colors and backgrounds. The fashion show benefits the Center for Balanced Living, a non-profit eating disorder treatment facility here in central Ohio, and it aims to erase the stigma and body image pressure often associated with traditional fashion shows and modeling.
“We had a blast planning the event and really put a lot of time into it to make sure it was perfect. We were able to raise over $24,000 for the Center, so I'd say it was a pretty big success,” says Kass.
Her academic and athletic prowess, along with her leadership abilities, led her to Emory University in Atlanta, and she made a decision to compete in only one sport there.
“I’m swimming them, which I’m super excited about,” she says.
Kass joins one of the country’s most successful collegiate women’s swimming programs at Emory, having won their 10th consecutive and 12th overall NCAA Division III National Championship this past season.
As Kass prepared for life as a college student outside New Albany, she was reflecting on the place where she had lived her entire life.
“The community makes New Albany special for me,” she says.
Kass cites the New Albany Farmers Market as a favorite tradition, biking there every Thursday throughout the summer with her mom, best friend and best friend’s mom.
“The bike paths and white fences and easy accessibility really make it feel like the perfect small town.” she says. “And upon recent reflection, as I'm going college, I really would not have wanted to grow up in a different place.”
Bob Valasek is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
