Recent Mt. Hope graduate Kaelen McKenna, daughter of Stephen McKenna and Dawn Hill, has been selected to the prestigious United Soccer Coaches High School Scholar All-America Team. This recognition is among the highest honors in girls’ high school soccer in the country.

To receive this award, the player must be nominated by their coach after having demonstrated excellence in soccer and having earned at least a 3.75 GPA.

In order to be considered for this award, the recipient must have participated in community service as well, which Kaelen fulfilled by sharing her love of soccer through coaching younger players. From nearly 400,000 nominees, Kaelen was one of 59 to be selected, and the only player from Rhode Island.

This is not the first recognition McKenna has received in her 14-year soccer career. The Providence Journal named her to the All-State team three years in a row. However, the Scholar All-America team is the first to commend Kaelen as a scholar, too. As her mother Dawn Hill put it, “It’s nice to see her recognized as both a student and an athlete.”

Kaelen is planning to play soccer this fall at Southern New Hampshire University while studying Sports Management.