The Girls’ Cross Country and Track and Field Teams have always been near the top, both in Nassau County and New York State. Every year, athletes on these teams achieve all-county and even all-state status. Junior Kara McKenna, a distance runner, has already competed in state and national championships multiple times for both track and field and cross country; she also received all-county honors as a sophomore and junior. The most impressive thing about her is that she is still getting better.

McKenna’s journey began as a freshman.

“Joining was easy,” she said. “I always wanted to be a runner ever since I was younger.”

She quickly became a strong force on the team, competing in varsity races during the winter track season of her freshman year. She became an all-conference champion in the 1,000 and 1,500 meter races. She then went on to compete in Nationals against the best.

Success didn’t stop there. As a sophomore, she was a key component of the girls’ varsity cross country team, which became county champions last year. By the time the winter track season came, she was winning varsity races and carried that success to achieving county champion status in the 1,500 meter race. She again qualified for the national meet.

McKenna is now a junior, already at all-county status in cross country and an all-state competitor. She is one of the top distance runners in the state, and is out to maintain that status during the winter season. Her accomplishments and dedication have earned her the respect and trust of her coaching staff and teammates.

“Kara is a true leader and a major part of this team,” team captain Amanda Moore said. “She is one of the hardest workers we have.”

How does someone already so decorated in these sports continue to improve?

“Putting in the extra miles. Running twice a day over the summer really helped me get my mileage up,” Kara said. ”Never hold back. Just keep running hard and good things will happen.”

Kara is determined to make it to the state championships in each of the remaining seasons she has as a Chief; she would also like to be a part of competitive relay teams for the highly regarded Penn Relays meet, where the best track athletes compete.

We don’t know exactly what the future holds for Kara. However, her history suggests that no goal is unattainable.