05/21/2026
Congratulations to our very own KK! Well deserved!
During Monday's All-Sports Banquet hosted by the South Hagerstown High Athletic Boosters, South High's recipient of the WCPS True Grit Award was announced. This year, Kaelynn Kunkle was selected.
The True Grit Award is presented to a senior student-athlete from each high school located in Washington County - both public and private, as well as a second-year student at Hagerstown Community College, who has demonstrated the ability to overcome hardship to become or remain a member of an athletic team. These students, who usually are not the stars of their teams, most often have been the ones who have “helped the stars to shine.” The selection of each award recipient solely is the decision of each school.
The following was submitted by Kaelynn's coaches.
South Hagerstown High School Girls Flag Football head coach Nissa Freeman: "Kaelynn (KK) stepped in as quarterback without hesitation when we realized we needed to make position adjustments. She always did everything asked of her without hesitation or complaint and found success in her new role as a senior who had never previously played the position. She worked hard to improve and kept a calm demeanor in high pressure situations. We were so excited to have her in this role and see her success. We are very proud of the leadership that Kaelynn showed."
South Hagerstown High Lady Rebel’s Softball head coach Chelsea Showe: "KK played her freshman year on JV before being an end-of-season call up to varsity. She made varsity her sophomore season - while her sister Jordyn was a senior on the team - but was academically ineligible the entire season. Despite this, KK still came to practice every day and put in the work.
Last spring as a junior, KK's grades improved, and she earned the starting shortstop role for varsity. However, she had a rough start to the season, leading the team in errors and struggling at the plate. Her confidence took a major hit. Then she moved to the outfield and excelled! She became a reliable outfielder and built her confidence back up. When our starting catcher went down with an injury over the summer, KK stepped up to learn yet another position and one of the hardest on the field . She grew as the season progressed. The fact she volunteered to make this move was big and something the freshman version of herself never would have done. She was also selected by the coaching staff as a captain this spring. KK batted 2nd in the lineup and enjoyed career highs in multiple categories at the plate. She is signed to play softball at Frederick Community College next spring. FCC is getting a good one. KK truly was the heart and soul of our team!"
