Junior Katelyn Daly is a two-time athlete in both golf and basketball. During her freshman year of high school, Daly made the junior varsity golf team and varsity basketball team. Being a multi-sport athlete is difficult for many, but Daly manages.

“It is hard to balance both school and basketball since we usually finish practice around 5:30 p.m. and get home around 9:00 p.m. for games, but I try to manage. As soon as I get home from basketball I just try to do all my work, and sometimes I stay up pretty late until I finish all my homework,” Daly said.

With a record of 14-9, the girl’s basketball team is doing well. Eight seniors left last year and both coaches for the girl’s team left as well, leaving big shoes to fill.

“This year has been a lot better for me, performance-wise, than the last two years because I have developed more confidence while playing. The team is also doing well this year and our record is pretty good,” Daly said.

Being the new girl’s varsity basketball coach, Amanda Mistretta has only seen Daly play this year.

“Katie is probably one of the most calm players I have ever coached. She is a very talented player, but it is impressive how stoic she can appear during an intense game. When I first started coaching her, I thought she was very quiet but once she started coming out of her shell, I started to see her goofy side. Especially in practice. Katie is an unselfish person and teammate. She tries to get all her teammates involved,” Mistretta said.

Daly is looked at in a good light by her teammates.

“Katie is a great teammate. She will always remind each player of the correct play during games and is a friendly face to talk to during practices. She also had a wonderful season so far with a career-high of 25 points against Niles North, and she has had a huge impact on our team this season,” senior Jeslyn Varghese said.

Daly leads her team with an average of 13.3 points per game and 3.2 assists per game. Daly’s job on the court is not to just score points, but to make sure her teammates are successful as well. However, there are always ups and downs when playing a competitive sport.

“Having a lot of pressure on me or my performance makes basketball a struggle because it affects how I play during games. Losing also brings the energy of our team down. My favorite part though is making a good move or shot because it keeps the energy up among my teammates and my confidence high. I think this applies to everyone, but I like to win,” Daly said.

In her free time, Daly cooks and bakes. Learning to cook came from her dad and she was able to pick baking up when she was little. Daly also got into golfing at a young age, which was influenced by her older brother, senior Luke Daly.

“My brother was first really into golfing a couple of years ago, so my family started doing it more often. I honestly just joined in for the fun. It isn’t my favorite sport, but I do enjoy it,” Daly said.

Daly is working hard to finish her junior year off with a bang. She strives to not only do well in school but also in both of the sports she participates in.