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Shelter Island athlete completes stellar college career

COURTESY PHOTO | The All-American volleyball player Kelsey McGayhey, one of the greatest athletes to come out of Shelter Island, flying high for Springfield College in a match this season.
COURTESY PHOTO | The All-American volleyball player Kelsey McGayhey, one of the greatest athletes to come out of Shelter Island, flying high for Springfield College in a match this season.

Kelsey McGayhey is now known, she said, as a “NARP.”

“That’s what we call someone whose career is over — a ‘Non-Athletic Regular Person,’” Ms. McGayhey said from the campus of Springfield College last week, where she will graduate in May.

A more suitable description of her is one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of Shelter Island.

The college volleyball player counts — among her many accolades and honors — being named last week to the third team All-America roster for the second straight year.

Ms. McGayhey just completed her final season at Springfield — a NCAA Division III school —as co-captain of the Pride, which went 31-4 on the season.

She admitted to having some withdrawal symptoms now that her competitive athletic career is over. “We had a team wrap-up meeting and I’m about to have the shock of my life when it clicks in,” Ms. McGayhey said. “I’ve never not played sports since I was in the 4th grade.”

Moira Long, Springfield’s volleyball coach, told the Reporter, “Kelsey is one of the most dynamic players I’ve ever coached. She’s explosive on the court — powerful. She dominated.”

Ms. McGayhey, a right-side hitter, posted 256 kills along with 62 blocks and 43 digs this past season. She hit over .400 in 13 matches this season and was one of only five right-side players to rank in the top 50 nationally in hitting percentage, leading the Pride to a berth in the Division III Sweet Sixteen tournament.

But her college coach really wanted to talk about her co-captain’s character. “She’s a phenomenal leader,” Ms. Long said. “Kelsey motivated her teammates to never be satisfied and constantly strive to improve. At Springfield we believe that you learn as much on the court as you do in the classroom.”

Ms. McGayhey has amassed numerous awards throughout her college career, earning New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team honors, and she’s been selected to the New England Women’s Volleyball Association’s New England First Team.

Around here, Ms. McGayhey is remembered as a legendary two-sport high school athlete — she scored more than 1,000 points in varsity basketball, the first player in team history to achieve that milestone — and had her number retired by the Shelter Island School.

Cindy Belt, her high school volleyball coach, said, “Kelsey’s natural athleticism was evident even in elementary school. She was strong and quick, able to pick up skills fairly quickly but dedicated to working hard to perfect those skills.”

Everyone the Reporter spoke to said it was Ms. McGayhey’s mental outlook that set her apart and Ms. Belt was no different, commenting on her former player’s dedication to the sport and her teammates.

The All-American said she had learned a valuable lesson early on, that “volleyball is a game of mistakes,” and that “you need to overcome mistakes. You have to ask, ‘What can I take away from the experience? How can I move forward?’”

Her parents, Dave and Patricia McGayhey, said Kelsey’s full-bore commitment to anything she got involved in was evident even when she was little. Mr. McGayhey, a Shelter Island Police officer, remembered Kelsey watching her sister, Katie, playing basketball.

“After awhile you couldn’t take a basketball away from her,” he said.

Ms. McGayhey, who works for M. Wein Realty, said Kelsey had followed in Katie’s footsteps and “she wasn’t going to be left behind.”

The family was ready to welcome Kelsey home for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, the first time she’s been home since August.

A criminal justice major, Ms. McGayhey is still unsure what she’ll do post-graduation, but she’s lining up an internship. Asked if she would ever be interested in coaching, Ms. McGayhey didn’t hesitate. “Definitely,” she said. “I’ve always considered coaching on the high school level. It’s not one of my main goals, but if it fell into my lap, I’d definitely consider it.”

As for goals, don’t count her out on anything she attempts. “Nothing gets in her way,” her mother said.