ROCKINGHAM — Kenleigh Frye, a sophomore on the Richmond Senior High School girls’ golf team, has been named the Week 5 Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tires and Service.
Each week, one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School will be selected by his or her coach as ROSports’ Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week based on his or her performance in helping their respective team.
In her second season with the Lady Raiders, Frye has proven to be a consistent golfer who ranks near the top of Richmond scorecard each week. She’s coming off the best outing of her sophomore campaign, helping her to earn her first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age: 15
Birthday: July 10, 2004
Year: Sophomore
Fall Sport: Golf
Position: No. 2 Seed
Years on Varsity: 2 Years
Height & Weight: 5-3, 125 pounds
Experience: 2 Years
“AROUND THE GREEN” WITH KENLEIGH FRYE
RSHS Academics: In her first semester at Richmond, Frye has a loaded schedule full of Honors courses. She begins her day with Math III Honors in Mrs. Kimberly Floyd’s class, then goes to Biology Honors with Mrs. Vivian Hilton. She closes her day with third block English II Honors with Mrs. Bellamy Bell and fourth block Weight Training Honors with Coach Jessica Covington.
“I’ve always been pretty good at English, so I’m enjoying Mrs. Bell’s class,” Frye said. “She’s a really good teacher and I have a lot of my friends in there with me.
“Weight Training definitely helps me grow as an athlete,” she added. “I’ve seen it improve my drive and I can hit the ball farther in golf and softball. Mrs. Covington is great and she likes to make us run.”
Frye currently has a 4.0 GPA, is an “A” honor roll student and is enrolled in the Health Science cluster at Richmond. She will begin taking those classes next semester and hopes to also begin Richmond Community College courses in the future. Outside of school, Frye plays travel softball for the Carolina Cardinals National 16U team.
Future Plans: Although she still has two and a half years until she graduates high school, Frye is already looking at college opportunities. But before she gets there, however, she has a lot she wants to accomplish while in high school.
“I want to continue to grow academically and athletically while I’m at Richmond,” she explained. And I want to maintain good grades, finish in the top 10 in my class and be one of the best athletes on whatever team I’m playing on.”
Frye noted she’s interested in health science, and can see herself being a physical trainer or physical therapist when she grows up. She said she likes “to be physically active and I want to turn that into a career so I can I help people.” Possible schools she’s considering are UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Wilmington and North Carolina State University.
Her top priority in high school is to commit to play college softball, her No. 1 sport. Because of the new NCHSAA recruiting rules, college programs can’t be in contact with her until her junior year. But she said a strong sophomore campaign this spring should help her verbally commit by next September.
Athlete of the Week Stats: The Lady Raider golf team has been consistent during the first couple of matches this season, taking fourth place behind Pinecrest, Jack Britt and Purnell Swett high schools. In her Week 2 match at Gates Four Golf and Country Club in Fayetteville, Frye posted a season-best 114 (+42).
With just over a year’s worth of high school golf experience under her belt, Frye has shown to be an asset on the course. Her score of 114 was eight strokes better than her season-opening score of 122 at Pinehurst No. 5 on Sept. 9.
Coach’s Corner: Second-year head coach Keith Parsons has coached Frye in her two years of varsity golf and has been impressed with the sophomore’s ability and eagerness to learn more about the sport. He added she’ll be a golfer to watch in the coming years.
“Kenleigh has so much natural ability and has taken so well to golf,” Parsons explained. “She probably is the longest hitter in the conference and she is learning to make the most of her length.
“Once she learns more about the game and sees continued improvement around the green, she will be very dangerous for the rest of the conference.”
Raider Video Chats: Kenleigh Frye, Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week
New this season is our “Raider Video Chats” segment that allows student-athletes to connect with fans and readers through video interviews. In her video, Frye talks golf and softball, her future plans and answer questions in our “Rapid Raider Response” segment.
Click photo for video.
