Athena Awards: Roosevelt senior achieves a longtime goal

Krystalyn Kersten has had her eye on winning an Athena Award from the time her friend was so honored three years ago.

"I thought it was a big thing,'' the Minneapolis Roosevelt senior said.

Now that she has one of her own, Kersten feels the same way. She will be honored today, along with 50-plus Minneapolis area senior girls from other schools for her athletic, academic, and community accomplishments.

Kersten's three-sport career at Roosevelt is highlighted by a five-year stint on the soccer team, where she has been a captain for three seasons. Kersten also plays basketball and is a member of the baseball team.

Academically, she carries a 4.04 GPA, is her class valedictorian and is a member of the National Honor Society.

"I am busy, but you have to find a way to make it work,'' Kersten said. "Nothing comes easy. You always have to work hard.''

Kersten said she had good role models; each of her three brothers earned straight A's.

As for why Kersten elected to play baseball rather than softball, she said she never even considered playing softball after moving through the ranks of Little League.

"Growing up with three brothers, they were always involved in sports,'' Kersten said. "I never really played softball. There is a park across the street from our house and our whole family was always over there.''

Kersten is the Teddies' starting first baseman and also pitches in relief. Coach Joe Protzmann said he was a little surprised to see Kersten try out three years ago, but he said she quickly proved she belonged and has been an integral part of the team since.

"She's one of our co-captains,'' Protzmann said. "She's just been one of the guys. She's pretty quiet, but she's focused when she is on the field.''

Soccer coach Joe Rosenfield watched as the quiet eighth-grader ("She hardly said a word") developed into a leader. As a defensive specialist she emerged as the Teddies' MVP each of the past two seasons.

"She's very, very coachable and an extremely hard worker in practice,'' Rosenfield said. "When she's playing in a game she'll sacrifice her body to make the play.''

Rosenfield's only regret -- and it is a minor one -- is that Kersten didn't play for him on the Roosevelt softball team.

"But it was her choice,'' he said. "The main thing was she was doing something positive, and she is a positive kid.''

Kersten plans to attend Augsburg next season, where she will major in business. She was a shy eighth-grader on the Roosevelt team when an Augsburg coach spotted her while recruiting one of her senior teammates.

"He ended up sending me a letter because he thought I was a senior, too,'' Kersten said.

Just as she focused on winning an Athena Award, Kersten has thought about playing soccer at Augsburg since her introduction to the program in eighth grade. Now that the opportunity is on the horizon, Kersten said she is still deciding whether to play soccer or to focus exclusively on academics.

"I may try to juggle it all,'' she said.

History suggests she shouldn't have trouble handling the workload.