Kyleigh Archer '23 Recruiting Profile

In March of 2018, I broke my ankle in an indoor soccer game and needed two screws put in. That night, as I was writhing in agony because I had to wait till the next morning for surgery, I also started experiencing some of the worst emotional pain I had ever been in.  You see, I was beginning to realize that I was going to miss out on playing the game that I adore for quite a while.  In fact, I was out for 3 months (2 of which involved being on crutches with absolutely no weight-bearing), went through weeks of physical therapy, and then (over a year later) had a second surgery to have the screws removed (followed by another 6 weeks of no sports as the holes in the bone healed). That entire process, although extremely frustrating to a 3-sport, year-round athlete such as myself, did one thing for me; it made me stronger and more determined and more focused to keep progressing and to keep getting better. Although just sitting on the sidelines was excruciating for me to endure, I used that time to gain a better perspective of my sports, a perspective that helped me understand and appreciate each of them better.

Being a multi-sport athlete has helped me excel in many ways, including what I do out on the pitch.  For example, last year in track, I was the leading female sprinter at my school and also in our league of eight schools.  I placed first in all four of my events (100m, 200m, 400m, and long jump) at regionals and was top seven in all of them at the state level, even though we didn’t get to compete due to COVID.  I made the All-League First Team for both track and soccer, and I was also awarded Offensive MVP of the entire league in soccer while only being a sophomore.  And to top things off, I was elected league Honorable Mention in basketball while being my school’s leading scorer.  All of these athletic accomplishments helped me be awarded Female Athlete of the Year at my high school, a spot normally reserved for a senior.  In terms of leadership, last year I was elected team captain on my high school team with ten seniors on it, and this summer, my high school coach is having me run all practices during off-season and he is not allowed to coach the team.  Finally, I was the sophomore class Vice-President last year, and  I’m going to pursue my leadership role as my high school’s ASB fifth executive this next year.  

So many of my accomplishments can be attributed to me life-long pursuit of soccer; it has shaped me into the person, friend, student, and athlete I am today. Throughout the years I’ve played soccer, I have learned how to be confident in myself and the skills I possess as not only an athlete but also a student and a person. I also learned that I possess a very competitive spirit and that I strive to be the best that I can be in everything that I do. That includes the classroom as well. My academic goal for my next couple years of high school is to maintain a 4.0 GPA while still taking honors and AP classes that will challenge my mind and thinking. That hard work on both the field and the classroom will get me into the best university for me to pursue my post-secondary goals.