Yost’s commitment to athletics and academics earned her the All-Academic Award for the third straight year.
For the third year in a row, Kinsey Yost ’15 has been awarded the All-Academic Award for her success in academics and athletics at Wesleyan University. A member of Wesleyan Girls Soccer, Yost has played for the team for four years and been Captain for two years.
The All-Academic Award is granted to student-athletes in the Nescac league who maintain a G.P.A. of 3.5 or higher throughout their entire time in college. Because Freshmen can’t receive the award, Yost has been recognized every year she has been eligible, despite suffering an A.C.L. injury and being unable to play for the majority of her Senior season at Wesleyan.
Yost said, “The All-Academic Award is not necessarily representative of your play on the field, but more your contribution as a student-athlete. They have awards for your play on the field such as first, second, and honorable mentions on Nescac teams, and then All-Region Teams and All-American Teams.”
Although the All-Academic Award emphasizes the academic achievements of student-athletes, Yost has also been an athletic force for the Wesleyan team, according to her former Andover Girls Soccer (GVS) Coach and advisor Lisa Joel, Director of Enrollment Management.
Joel said, “What is clear to me is that when Kinsey went to Wesleyan, she basically had [an incredible] impact there… which is really hard to do, because it’s always a step up to play collegiate sports. She was also a two-time Captain of the Wesleyan team, which is also exceptional. In her senior year, in spite of having an A.C.L. injury, she still found a way to lead the team and they actually had the most successful year of her four years there. I have no doubt that that wouldn’t have happened if Kinsey wasn’t there leading.”
During her Senior year at Andover, Yost was Co-Captain of GVS, along with Elizabeth Kemp ’15 and Alice Thomas ’15. She credits her time on GVS for giving her essential skills in leadership and sportsmanship.
Yost said, “My time on GVS taught me how to be a good teammate, how when you play on the field, you don’t play for yourself but you play for the team as a whole, and how it’s so important that every player on that team fulfills as role as a member of the greater whole. I think that GVS especially does such a good job of helping people realize the importance of every role played on the team.”
Yost was a natural leader on the Andover team, according to Joel.
Joel said, “She was an exceptional Captain… Kinsey was our vocal leader on the field at all times. We needed her as our center back, and she was determined in every way always to inspire the team to victory. She was our best player at all times and even though she was center back, I expected her to be our biggest offensive threat, making our team go forward. She was exceptional.”
As one of her fellow Co-Captains at Andover, Kemp also felt that Yost was a supportive and successful Captain on GVS.
Kemp said, “I think she did a fantastic job as Captain [at Andover], and she really took the saying ‘lead by example’ to the fullest in that she put everything on the line, whether it be her body or her priorities and mindset into soccer. It’s her passion; she loves it a lot, and you can just tell by the way she plays and the spirit that she brings. She’s also a very kind and warm and bubbly person, so it’s kind of this hard devotion to the game and to the team but also coupled with this kindness and warmth.”
The All-Academic Award not only acknowledged Yost’s athletic abilities, but it also recognized her commitment to academics. Yost is a Neuroscience and Behavior Major, a field she became interested in after getting a concussion during her Upper year.
Yost said, “When I had my concussion, I went to the doctor and there wasn’t much that could be done because there’s not much happening in that field. When I was looking about where to go to college and where I could play soccer, Wesleyan had a phenomenal neuroscience program, and I pursued it with the hope of going to medical school and figuring out what exactly causes concussions, how do we overcome them, how can we help young athletes treat them when we do have concussions, because they’re so prevalent, especially in women’s soccer.”
Kemp said, “Kinsey embodied a lot of what Andover tries to instill in you in terms of a love of learning and curiosity and just enjoying learning. I know her major at Wesleyan is neurobiology, and she’s really taken it seriously and really enjoyed learning in a different specificity. I know she’s doing a fifth year master program there, so I think that speaks to her devotion and dedication to continued learning in higher education.”
Joel referred to her as a “true student athlete” because of her simultaneous commitment to both her studies and her time on the field.
Joel said, “As an athlete, in my time here, she will really stand out as exceptional, the sort of athlete would imagine would someday be in our athletic hall of honor, in terms of her impact. She was also, from the start, just incredibly hardworking. She was a very positive teammate, just loved the game and loved her teammates and brought a lot of joy to the field.”
Editor’s Note: Alexandra LeBaron is an Associate News Editor for The Phillipian.
