Former Lady Maverick Heading to China for World University Games

Former North Country Maverick athlete and 2021 Hinsdale graduate Kaitlyn McColly will get to display her athletic talents on the world stage, as a member of Team USA in the World University Games in Chengdu, China.

McColly, a second year student at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, N.D., has thrived in collegiate track and field and is the 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Women's National Champion in the Heptathlon, in Marion Ind., this past June.

McColly is the daughter of Hinsdale's Paul and Kristin McColly, the younger sister of John, and older sister of BaiLee and CharLee.

According to https://www.dsubluehawks.com, "McColly started the multi-event competition strong, winning the first event, the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.56 seconds. She took sixth in the High Jump, thirteenth in the Shot Put, and seventh in the 200m Dash to round out day one as the overall leader.

On day two, McColly put up even better numbers, taking third in both the Long Jump and 800m Run and eighth in the Javelin to clinch the title with a score of 4,922 points."

She was also named the 2023 Midwest Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The PCN caught up with McColly who is getting ready to take off for the games which start on July 28.

"I am really excited," McColly said. "We are just taking it as, have fun, do it for the experience and don't stress out about it too much."

She was asked how it felt to be an NAIA Heptathlon Champion.

"It feels good," she said. "Like my hard work paid off. Doing that many events, you spend a lot of hours practicing."

She practices one to three hours per day, and lifts weights twice a week.

During her high school years, not only did McColly thrive in track and field as a state champion in two events (300 Hurdles and Triple Jump), but she was an All-State basketball player with the North Country Mavericks.

She was asked how it was to witness the team's State C Championship winning season.

"It was so much fun, my sisters were freshmen, so they got to start playing, which was also fun," McColly said. "It was good to see that they finally made it happen. We knew that it was going to happen at some point, it was a work in the making."

As for now, McColly doesn't play basketball often. She said she misses the game, but being in Dickinson has opened her eyes to her current sport.

"I never understood that a team could be the way it was as a track team," she said. "It's an individual sport, but the team aspect is there and it is just as heavy in track and field as it is in basketball."

She says that she has seen a few local faces at DSU, including fellow track athlete and teammate Kelsee Cummings, a Whitewater graduate, who also throws for the team.

Though McColly also throws shot put and javelin, she says that her favorite events are the 60 and 100 meter hurdles.

She recently earned her Associates Degree in Nursing and is a Licensed Practical Nurse. She will continue to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing to become a Registered Nurse.

"I am just super excited for these upcoming years," McColly said. "First coming into the college world of track, I learned a lot of new events to be able to do the heptathlon, and I am starting to get those down. I am excited to see what the next two years bring as I continue to improve in those events. I haven't hit my ceiling yet."

Recently, McColly received a local hero's honor of being featured in Hinsdale's Annual Parade on the Fourth of July to honor her accomplishments.

You can help McColly on her journey to Chengdu by donating to her GoFundMe page https://gofund.me/c1747b33. This will help with the flight costs and housing and meal fees in the Olympic Village like area that she will be staying in.