(Lynda O’Neill photo)Name: Kelly O’Neill
Age: 16
Hometown: Lake Oswego
Grade/school: Junior, Lakeridge High School
Team: Varsity cross country
Coach: Ken James
Highlights: First in 5000-meter race at Trask Mountain Assault Invitational with time of 22:22.29. Won individual champion at Three Rivers League district meet last month. Placed fifth in state 6A meet in Eugene with time of 18:30.
How she got started: “Junior high at Waluga in Lake Oswego. In high school some of the older girls wanted me to join the team.”
Coach’s advice: “Run your race and if you set a personal record that would be great also.”
Favorite part of sport: “Being on a team with great people and helping mentor others as team captain. Being outside and being healthy is a great feeling. Challenging yourself against other top runners is a great opportunity.”
Favorite meal the night before a race: “Chicken and rice or pasta that my dad (Skip O’Neill) makes.”
Off-season: “I like to snowboard, play city league basketball with my friends and get ready for track season. I like using the MAC as a scholar-athlete for Lakeridge.”
Rules to live by: “Work hard, be a leader and help others, challenge yourself and do your best, have fun and enjoy your sport!”
Hobbies: Volunteering for the Lake Oswego chapter of the National Charity League, summer camps at Tryon Creek State Natural Area and Down Syndrome Network Oregon. She’s a teen board member for Abby’s Closet, which collects prom dresses for needy girls, and is working on the Lakeridge food drive for Oregon Food Bank.
On her iPod: Rihanna, The Band Perry, Coldplay, Drake, Adele. “I like to also find new artists.”
Books on her nightstand: Biology and human physiology textbooks, “The Great Gatsby” for English class.
One thing someone may not know about her: “My birthday is March 17, on St. Patrick’s Day. My grandma says I was the luck of the Irish. My mother says I was her pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
What’s next: The Border Clash meet on Nov. 20 at Nike, pitting top Oregon runners against top Washington runners. “Then I will be working on spring track season. I would like to run in college.”
