Sophomore Kendra Swope is a straight A student in the classroom, but behind that, Swope is an incredible multisport athlete specifically excelling in lacrosse. For the last seven years of her life, Swope has been playing lacrosse, and she has no plans of stopping anytime soon. Swope started playing on the varsity lacrosse team her freshman year and she had no trouble proving her spot on the team. She tallied 78 goals and 19 assists placing 4th in the state of Missouri. Cat Connolly, a senior at FHN and one of Swope’s teammates on the varsity lacrosse team, speaks very highly of Swope.

“For only playing with Kendra for one season so far, it’s sad I only get one more season with her, because I’m graduating this year,” Connolly said. “She is a remarkable player and an even better teammate.”

Swope let all of the Knights competition know that she is a force to be reckoned with, with her Freshman year performance. Scoring 78 goals and assisting 19 of them herself, Swope finished with 97 points on the season, 3 shy of an elusive 100 point season. Swope was 2nd in league scoring, and second in total points during the 2021 season. Keeping the next season in mind, Swope is preparing and readying herself for anything.

“I’m just always trying to improve and work hard,” Swope said. “Outside of my club lacrosse team, I’m consistently training to improve my play and get more college exposure. I want to play in college so I have to put the extra practice in to stand out and be on college radars.”

There are two sides to a player of Swopes caliber, the individual work and the teamwork. Swope put up 19 assists last season, leading the team by a long shot. Leading the team in goals and assists shows the duality of Swope’s game as she can be a threat in all areas. Playing on a team isn’t just playing with the team, but growing and building off each other as teammates and friends. This is another aspect that Swope excels at. The freshman season in particular is the time where everything is new and there are quite a few memories to be made. Connolly and Swope instantly clicked last year, making lasting memories before they knew it.

“It’s tough to pick a favorite memory with Kendra, but I would say it was probably when I had an open cut straight to the goal and she passed it to me perfectly,” Connolly said. “I scored a really nice goal and we celebrated by doing the stanky leg. It was definitely something I’ll remember for a while.”

As an  athlete, finding the balance between personal life and sports can be tough but it’s not impossible. Swope is an example of that, keeping straight A’s while still continuing to dominate on the lacrosse field. 

“It take a lot of time management and organization skills, but I manage to get it done. I know I have to keep up in school and stay ahead of things in order to keep pursuing my goal of making it to play college lacrosse,” Swope said.

 It cannot go without mentioning the impact that Swope’s parents have had on her success in the sport of lacrosse. Her father Todd Swope, a PE teacher, had a big impact on Swope growing up and still continues too, to this day. 

“Athletics wise, Kendra has always been a team leader and realizes that every game takes team effort. She knows what’s important and sets goals of good grades and playing lacrosse in college. I’m so proud of her,” Todd Swope said.