Central's Kirk picked as Sun-Times Female Athlete of Year

When Plainfield Central senior Stephanie Kirkpatrick walked into the school as a freshman, softball coach Anne Campbell knew this kid was going to go far.

Four years later, Kirkpatrick is a three-sport star in volleyball, basketball and softball and has a full ride to play softball at Michigan, one of the premier programs in the nation.

She also has led the Wildcats to conference titles this year in softball and volleyball and was one of the top players on Plainfield Central's basketball team.

For that, Kirkpatrick is the 2008 Chicago Sun-Times Female Athlete of the Year.

"This is amazing," she said. "I am so happy I got it because there are so many good athletes that are out there. You never think you'll get this kind of stuff."

Kirkpatrick was also recently named the Gatorade Illinois Softball Player of the Year.

This softball season, the Wildcats won their third consecutive regional title and advanced to the Class 4A sectional semifinals. Campbell said Kirkpatrick, a shortstop, was a major part of that success.

But playing three sports? Multi-sport athletes seem to be rarer and rarer these days, especially those who play three. But Kirkpatrick and Campbell agree that time management is the key. It's a skill that also enabled Kirkpatrick to be in the top 10 percent of her graduating class.

"Michigan softball coach (Carol Hutchins) encouraged her to do other sports," Campbell said. "She makes kids see that they don't have to specialize and still can be a student-athlete."

Kirkpatrick started the school year on the volleyball team playing libero. The Wildcats shared the Southwest Prairie title with Plainfield North.

"It was a great season," Kirkpatrick said. "We had a lot of young players, and it was one of the best times of my life."

A shooting guard in basketball, Kirkpatrick led Plainfield Central into the regionals, where the season ended against Hinsdale South.

Kirkpatrick took her junior year off from basketball to concentrate on softball, which is when Michigan came calling.

"I expected her to get interest from the Big Ten and other schools," Campbell said. "She had gone to camps there and at Northwestern.

"I knew from the minute she walked through the door her freshman year that she would be a big-time player."

The Sun-Times Player of the Year batted .510 this season with 49 hits, including 10 home runs, seven triples and 12 doubles, to go with 24 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

Kirkpatrick has a career batting average of just over .350 and has school records in hits (160), home runs (15), triples (27) and runs scored (128).

"It has been everything and more," Kirkpatrick said. "I thought it would be really hard coming back this year because our team was so good last year and lost nine seniors.

"I've loved everything about this season, especially beating Lockport for the first time in how many years? And we won the conference three years in a row. We were the first team at Central to do that. And we were the first team in school history ranked No. 1 in the state."

Kirkpatrick already has left a legacy at Plainfield Central. Not only has she set the precedent that being a successful three-sport athlete is within reach, but she also has taught those at the lower levels a thing or two about persistence.

"If you believe you'll go to a school and play a sport, you can do it," Kirkpatrick said. "People say you can't go to a big school and play sports if you're from the Midwest. But if you're good, you will succeed. I dreamed of going to Michigan, and now I am."

Sun-Times News Group