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Sports

Whiz Kid: Freshman Phenom Caitlin McKenna

Sports, school and community service are just a few of the things this Fort Lee Whiz Kid does well.

Caitlin McKenna is a freshman at Fort Lee High School and is having a freshman year that few have ever experienced before her.

She not only made the Fort Lee soccer team, Caitlin cracked the starting lineup for the Lady Bridgemen and even picked up postseason awards in the Big North Conference (Division VII) for her play.

Caitlin then added to her resume by trying out for the Fort Lee softball team, earning a starting spot in center field as well as becoming the leadoff hitter for the playoff team as a freshman.

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Surprisingly, this is nothing new for the 14-year-old student athlete. Caitlin has actually been playing “up” for years--against other girls who are a few grades higher and a few years older than she is.

While in Kindergarten, McKenna began playing soccer, and soon that interest in sports blossomed to softball where Caitlin was elevated to play with the third, fourth and fifth grades when she was only in the second grade herself.

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Youth softball coach Mike Klein noticed Caitlin’s skills very early on during an indoor batting practice at the community center.

“This kid [caught] every single ball,” said Klein of the unknown girl playing center field, who he quickly learned was Caitlin. “I’ll never forget it…I was like ‘Oh my god! This kid is going to be a superstar one day.”

So this whiz kid kept on playing and wowing more people along her sports journey that included a lengthy youth basketball career as well.

But what few people may know is that Caitlin also plays Gaelic Football and actually represented the United States National Team. At just 13 years old, she was staying in Ireland, scoring goals for her country and staying in team housing with fellow athletes from around the world.

Through it all though, Caitlin has stayed grounded and actually did not miss one of her basketball games during the time away. She returned to play on the court and also stayed up to date with her schoolwork, which is just as important to Caitlin as sports are.

McKenna is already taking some classes with seniors, and she is on the honor roll at Fort Lee High School.

She credited softball coach Bob Aughey for helping her reach teachers after class for extra help, her parents for instilling the value of education before extracurriculars, and teammate Brianna Mattessich for keeping her focused on nightly tasks as well as teaching her softball.

“She learns the fundamentals so quickly,” Brianna said. “She is getting better and better each day. I am proud of her.”

In addition to all of the academic and athletic accomplishments, Caitlin was proud to note that she finished all of her high school community service hours this year.

Where students have to finish 50 by the end of their senior year, McKenna has already doubled that to a total of 107 hours by helping with the Fort Lee Girls Basketball League.

Taking a season off from playing basketball, Caitlin reached and exceeded her goal of helping the Fort Lee community.

“Well I couldn’t stop mid-season,” McKenna said of her efforts to help out during the league’s draft, and official scorekeeping most nights. “I had finished all of the hours by around the middle of the season…you can’t put in half way and stop.”

Caitlin continues to give her all, whether in the classroom, on the varsity fields or even just going to the local park to run bases on the softball field for fun.  

The next three years of Caitlin McKenna’s high school career is a blank canvas just waiting to be filled, but if her past indicates what is possible for her future, Caitlin McKenna has big things in mind.

Editor's Note: Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. Each week, Fort Lee Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to erik.wander@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information:


● Nominator's Name
● Nominator's E-Mail
● Whiz Kid's Name
● Whiz Kid's Age
● Whiz Kid's School
● Whiz Kid's Accomplishment
● Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful?)


If your nominee is selected, we'll contact you and assign a photographer to take a photo. For questions, e-mail erik.wander@patch.com

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