Hot Shot: Lincoln-Way Co-Op's Kaitlyn Neiheisel Honored as Top Winter Sports Athlete

Kaitlyn Neiheisel, Lincoln-Way Co-Op, junior, gymnastics

* Moving up from 14th place in the IHSA state competition to medaling with fifth-place finish in the floor exercise event.

* First-place finish on floor exercise (9.575) in Lincoln-Way East Regional.

* Third-place finish in the all-around in Southwest Suburban Conference meet and Lincoln-Way East Regional.

"When I look back, I will remember the winter of 2010-11 and will be thankful for the many hours that my parents, coaches, teammates and friends have helped me become a better athlete. I will be proud that I pushed myself and worked hard to accomplish my goals, and I will be excited and motivated to build upon skills I already have in order to make them better and to learn new ones for next year.”

"When I think of all Kaitlyn has accomplished, I am excited to see that she was able to merge athletic talent and mental readiness for a stressful event. She was able to live in the moment and was rewarded with a lifetime of memories from her season.”

A year from now Neiheisel expects to be finishing up high school and getting ready for college. She hopes to attend Purdue University and compete on the Boilermakers' diving team. She boasts a grade-point average of 3.643 and ranks 59th in a class of 301.

“Some people that I admire are my parents for putting in their time to help me become a stellar athlete and encouraging me to do what I love. I admire my coaches for putting forth the effort to make me a better athlete and a better person. I also admire my friends for always cheering me on, thus giving me confidence in everything that I do.

"Sports have taught me that I must keep standing back up and trying again no matter how many times I fall. Being a three-season athlete has taught me to be a hard worker and how to prioritize my time.

"Someone that inspires me is Roger Bannister because he was the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes. After scientists tried to prove that it was physically impossible for any man to run a mile in under 4 minutes, he continued to push on and work hard to accomplish his goal. His hard work paid off after he finally proved the world wrong. After he did this, many others also broke the four-minute barrier. This inspires me to always work hard and reach for the sky because anything is possible.”