Kelsey Dugger: Southmont's Energizer Bunny

​NEW MARKET - It’s tough to be a top-tier high school athlete in one sport let alone two, but Kelsey Dugger accomplished the feat not twice during a single school year, but twice in the same season.

The senior from Southmont may have become the first from the school, or maybe even Montgomery County, to qualify for not one, but two different regionals — and she did both on the same day.

Dugger finished eighth in a time of 20:32 at the Benton Central girls cross country sectional Oct. 7, then nearly eight hours later she joined the girls soccer team and helped the Mounties win a sectional championship for the first time with a 3-2 victory over Greencastle.

In the span of about 10 hours that day, Dugger qualified for the regional in cross country and as part of the girls soccer team. Attempting to track down if it’s ever been done before, and on the same day, is a near-impossible task. So while no proof can be found if it’s ever been done before by a Montgomery County athlete, at the very least Dugger is part of a small group, or perhaps the only, to have ever accomplished it.

So how does the soft-spoken Dugger make it happen? Like it’s no big deal.

“I started playing soccer at a really early age and did that until junior high, and then there was this thing called cross country,” Dugger said. “I really love to run distances so I did it. I figured my freshman year I would try to do both and then make a decision on which one to do from that point on. My soccer coach my sophomore year asked me to try to do both again so I did, and I have been able to continue to do both all four years.”

It’s not that she’s just competed in both sports. She’s excelled in both.

Dugger made second team all-conference in girls soccer when the Sagamore Conference released the teams last week. She made all-conference in cross country after winning the SAC Meet last month.

The Energizer Bunny?

So how does Dugger do it?

“I have always had a bunch of energy so it’s not that hard,” she said. “More than anything it is all about time management. I have to set priorities and follow them. It’s not that big of a deal to me.”

Southmont’s girls soccer coach, Madison Burton, passes Dugger in the middle of a cross country workout as the head coach arrives for practices at the high school.

“As soon as school is out she heads out to do her cross country workout,” Burton said. “She is so dedicated and Coach (Courtny) Cotten has been so easy to work with and to share her. Her first priority is to get her cross country workout in and then she comes over to our practice.”

Dugger usually joins the soccer team between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. for an hour or so of practice following her cross country workouts.

“She never complains,” Burton said. “I don’t know how she does it, but she is never tired of asks to sit out of any drills.”

On days when there is a cross country meet and a soccer match, Dugger still finds time for both. One case came in late August when she won the Leap Into September Meet and then raced to the soccer field for a match against rival North Montgomery. After two overtime periods, the Mounties won 2-1 in penalty kicks.

Dugger doubled up three or four times this year. As a junior last year she did it on 5-6 different occasions.

Special Skills Needed

“Kelsey is a special individual, which contributes to her being an effective athlete,” said Cotten, who first coached Dugger her freshman year in track and field. Cotten has coached along side Marvin Walters, who played a big role in Dugger’s development in middle school and as a freshman.

“I immediately noted her relentless passion for the act of running, and her commitment to remaining a coachable athlete,” Cotten said. “Marvin and I always joked that she may be the hardest worker in the history of the girls track and cross country program. He commented that she is on the same level as the likes of Creasy Clauser, Sam Eliason, and so many other greats before her when it comes to work ethic.”

Cross country and soccer are different in many ways. Cross country, of course, is more individual, especially since the Mounties haven’t fielded a full team in the four years of Dugger’s high school career. Soccer, obviously, is a true team sport. So how does Dugger flip the switch between the two?

“She possesses a unique balance of selflessness, confidence in her abilities and determination to outwork others,” Cotten said. “She knows that her job on the soccer field is to maximize her team’s ability to win. She does that by out hustling opponents on the field with her tremendous stamina from cross country. On the cross country course ... she works on all the little details to improve her efficiency and technique.”

More Than A Great Athlete

Cotten says it isn’t just athletic ability that makes Dugger stand out.

“If you asked the girl to run all day long, she’d ask ‘What pace?’ And ‘Where will you be on the course, coach?’” Cotten said “That’s just who she is. There is a lot to be said for heart and this girl has that in abundance. A testament to that is the inspiring act of kindness she displayed after winning the Sagamore Athletic Conference.”

Cotten is eluding to the fact that after finishing the race with a personal best time on the course, Dugger handed out water to other competitors crossing the finish line. When the final runner crossed the finish line at the end of the girls race, Dugger offered a bottle of water and a hug.

Dugger’s days of playing soccer ended Saturday when the Mounties fell to Covenant Christian 5-2 in the regional semifinal in Indianapolis. She missed that game because of the cross country regional in West Lafayette. Her cross country days aren’t over, though. Dugger was 11th at the regional and will make a trip to semi-state for a third straight year. She placed 31st at the regional as a freshman, 15th as a sophomore and 16th a year ago.

Dugger has yet to make it to the state finals. But that’s on the agenda this weekend.