McKenna (Kenny) Faychak '22 Recruiting Profile

Being a cancer survivor has shown me just how strong and determined I really am, and being a volleyball player has given me the strength, determination, and drive to come back from any hardship that gets thrown at me. I was diagnosed with fibromyxoid sarcoma at the beginning of August 2014, when I was nine years old, and I underwent the two surgeries by November of that same year. Looking back, I can remember being really angry that I could not play sports because I really enjoyed physically playing and the friends and teammates that were involved. I was recuperating for a couple of months, which took me away from participating in my athletics.

When I returned to sports, I had lost my confidence because I was afraid that something would happen to me at the surgery site, and I had a mental block about being weaker than everyone else. Regaining my confidence took extra skills training with a personal trainer, pushing myself in practice, and overcoming the mental block through sheer determination.

My mom and I started a fundraising campaign for cancer research called Cycle For Survival in 2015, and we enlisted an entire community of people to participate and or donate. This has now become an annual event. To date, we have raised over $95,000.00 for cancer research. I have so much gratitude for my faith, my family, and my community for just always being there for me and encouraging my success and recovery.

Sometimes in order to strengthen one’s weaknesses, he or she must ask for help, and this is okay. I needed to ask for help in order to get strong, regain my athletic skills, and eventually be a full time player again. It was not easy, doing what was best for the team when I wanted to be out there playing full strength, but as a result of sheer determination and the help I asked for,  I can proudly say that I have played volleyball competitively on a national team for three years, soccer for three years, lacrosse for four years, and basketball for six years. Over the past 3 years I have developed a love for both indoor and beach volleyball. I am passionate about the sport watching and attending AVP Beach tournaments, NCAA indoor and beach championships and following the world's best players on social media.  I even met April Ross, someone who I aspire to be like one day as she is one of the best all around beach volleyball players in the world. My love of the sport has also lead me to focus on strength and conditioning training outside my regular practice schedule.

My dedication to volleyball has taught me that being level headed and understanding can work outside of sports in everyday situations.. Being on a team has enabled me to see that people rise together or they fail together, and that it is not about being an individual. Athletics has developed and strengthened my leadership skills to a point where I am active in many leadership roles in school and in the community.  Volleyball has helped me to become stronger mentally and physically and has allowed me to learn valuable life lessons on and off the court.