Kelly Wilson has been a integral part of the success of this year’s Brandon girls cross country team.
However, Wilson, 17, a senior at Brandon High School, also finds time to be involved with plenty of other activities both in and out of school.
The Flint Kiwanis Club recognized Wilson’s achievements by naming her one of the Donald B. Sark Athletes of the Month for October. Brandon Athletic Director Larry Lamphere said it is the first time a Brandon athlete has achieved that honor.
Wilson was scheduled to be honored at a luncheon at noon Thursday, Oct. 27 at the First Presbyterian Church, 746 S. Saginaw St, Flint. As one of the student athletes of the month, Wilson is eligible to become the Student Athlete of the Year, which will be awarded May 25, 2006.
Wilson is the daughter of Mary and David Wilson of Ortonville, and has a younger brother, Kristopher, 13, who is in the eighth grade at Brandon Middle School.
She is in her second year as a member of the Blackhawks? cross country team, and helped the team win the Flint Metro League championship Oct. 19. The Blackhawks will look to repeat as Division 2 regional champions Oct. 29 at Marysville.
Ironically, Wilson said she became involved in cross country through her participation on the girls basketball team.
‘My JV basketball coach, Tim Donnan, suggested I try track in the spring,? she said. ‘I met the girls who ran cross country and I liked them, and I met the girls cross country coach (Rod Yeacker), and I liked him.?
Wilson said she is happy to be a part of the Blackhawks? success this season, and is pleased with her progress from last year to this year.
‘I feel I’ve improved a lot ? I’ve been running roughly a minute faster (than last year),? she said. ‘It makes it exciting for me to be able to run under 19 minutes. I’m excited about how our team is doing ? we’re having a great year.?
Wilson also achieved a first this summer when she took part in the Crim Festival of Races in Flint, competing in the 8K race.
In addition to her participation on the cross country team, Wilson is a member of the high school’s Spanish Club and was class president during the 2004-05 school year.
She is also a member of the youth group at Ortonville Baptist Church, 173 Church St., Ortonville, and has taken part in two mission trips with her group.
Last year, she was a part of a 22-person group that went to Juarez, Mexico (across the border from El Paso, TX), and spent five days there building a house for a mother and her two children.
The year before, the same group went to Tennessee to repair some homes for elderly people in the Appalachian area.
Wilson said both those trips were humbling experiences which made her appreciate what she has at home.
‘We take a lot of things for granted,? she said. ‘You see people who have less, especially the Mexican people, who were living in cardboard houses surrounded by garbage. Those people were so happy with so little.?
As far as future plans go, Wilson wants to study food science in college as well as run women’s cross country. So far, she has applied to the University of Northern Colorado, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota and Central Michigan University.
Wilson said she has heard back from all the above schools except for Minnesota, but is waiting to decide where to attend until she finds a school that allows her to pursue both her academic and athletic goals.