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LYNN — Classical’s Kiara Edmonds did it all during her time as a Ram, and now she’s carrying over her success to the next level, committing to continue playing softball at Anna Maria College in Paxton.
A three-sport athlete, Edmonds jumped from being a captain on the court for the Rams volleyball and basketball teams to her first love on the diamond, where she played outfield and designated hitter and was named a 2019 Northeastern Conference all-star her junior year.
“I’ve been playing softball almost my whole life and I fell in love with the sport,” Edmonds said. “I started playing in third grade and I’ve been on so many teams since. I’ve played with so many girls and a lot of them are really competitive. That always drove me to want to be better. The game is so fun, it may not seem that way to some but if you play you know it is.”
And Anna Maria, led by head softball coach Lawrence Sasso, fit the bill as the place to continue that long career on the diamond.
“Their softball team is really good,” Edmonds said. “And it’s such a young team. They’re building up each year and I was talking to coach Sasso and he told me I’d be a good asset for that. As an incoming freshman I’m really excited to learn from the juniors and upperclassmen.”
Just as impressive as Edmonds’ athletic accomplishments are her accomplishments in the classroom. While balancing all three sports, she didn’t skip a beat academically — boasting a 4.3 GPA in honors and AP courses.
“To be honest, as I got older managing everything got easier,” Edmonds said. “I learned as I went on with homework, school work and games and practices. I would do a lot of work in school when I could but I let coaches know if I had to stay after school and be late to practice. And all my coaches always definitely put an emphasis on the classroom.”
In May, Edmonds was honored as Classical’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, a tradition where each NEC school honors their top Male and Female School Athletes at the end of the year.
“That definitely means a lot to me,” Edmonds said of the honor. “My freshman year I came in focused on playing all three of my sports and on maintaining grades. I had a high standard set by my older brother Derek, who was also an athlete at Classical. I wanted to carry that on.”
Edmonds is especially thankful to her family members, like her brother Derek and her parents, and the coaches she’s had along the way for helping her carry that success along.
“Playing sports has made me grow as a person,” Edmonds said. “I just want to thank all my coaches I’ve had throughout my whole career. And especially thank my parents. They’re the only reason I started playing sports. They played when they were younger and they wanted their children to have that extra activity.”
Heading into Anna Maria, Edmonds is excited to begin student life on a smaller, tight-knit campus where she’ll study Forensic Criminology.
“It’s kind of a small campus,” Edmonds said. “I like that because I’m not the type of person to be in a big area. It’s more organized and I like this campus in front of you where you’re not getting lost anywhere.”
As for softball, Edmonds hopes to help her team find success in whatever role they need her.
“I want to contribute the most I can,” Edmonds said. “Whether that’s on the bench cheering or anything. Anything I can do to help with my teammates’ confidence and help us win games.”
