Kennedy Donnelly helps Arrows reach the pinnacle

Press Contributing Writer
sports@presspublications.com

St. Ursula senior Kennedy Donnelly has been playing golf since she was 4.
The daughter of two coaches, Mike and Tracy Donnelly, just finished her career as a golfer, helping the Arrows finish seventh in Division I.
The team shot a 334 at NCR Country Club in Kettering. Sydney Socha led the way with a 77, followed by Emma Myers (80), Kennedy Donnelly (85), Olivia Rodgers (92) and Lindsey Kornowa (96).
It is the fourth consecutive season in which St. Ursula has finished in the top nine in Div. I.
“It’s such a cool experience – it was our third year going to state. Going into it, (the mindset) was, just go and have fun. The end goal was to be there,” said Donnelly, who lives in Curtice. “It was fulfilling to be with my teammates because they’re my best friends. It’s nice to have that experience.”
Two years ago, Payton, Kennedy’s sister, led St. Ursula to the state tournament, Kennedy’s first season playing varsity. Payton Donnelly is now a sophomore at Northern Michigan University, which is located in Marquette. (Marquette is located on Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.) The Wildcats are a Div. II school and compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Payton Donnelly qualified for the state tournament three times and was named the Three Rivers Athletic Conference Player of the Year three times.
“My sister is the biggest inspiration in my life, golf-wise, and in general. She has persevered when things haven’t gone her way,” said Kennedy Donnelly. “Being able to watch her excel has been an inspiration for me. No matter how hard it is, I want to (succeed).
“I’ve been playing golf since I was 4. My dad would take me to Oak Harbor Golf Club with my sister. I don’t remember a time not playing golf.”
To reach the state tournament, the Arrows won the sectional — where Donnelly was fourth (78) — and won the district — where Donnelly again was fourth (78). She earned all-district honors.
The team also won the Catholic High School League, which is based in Detroit, with Donnelly shooting a 76, placing seventh and earning league honors.
As with any successful team, Donnelly has a great deal of respect and admiration for her teammates.
“All of them are great golfers, and can be really good golfers in the future,” said Donnelly. “Emma Myers is the only person who was with me since freshman year. I look up to her as a golfer and a human being. Sydney and Olivia have been great to me. Lindsey is great; I love her so much. I think she’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”
Donnelly talked about her coach, Jim McGowan.
“I love Coach. I have known him for so long – he’s got the same humor as me, he’s been a great help to me, and he can always make me laugh if I’m having a bad round,” said Donnelly. “He’s one of the best coaches I could’ve asked for.”
While Kennedy Donnelly enjoys golf, her favorite sport is track and field.
“I throw discus and shot put for the track team; that’s my main sport. I do golf for fun,” she said. “I would like to throw discus and shot put in college. Golf-wise, I don’t want to continue that in college. That is my sister’s thing. I do it for the social aspect.”
Donnelly comes from a family that’s been heavily involved with athletics for decades.
Tracy Donnelly coached volleyball and softball at a number of schools including Cardinal Stritch and Oak Harbor, and now teaches at Northview High School. She was a standout in volleyball, basketball and softball at Clay in the 1990s.
Mike Donnelly is the athletic director at St. Ursula, and also coached softball and football at Central Catholic — winning a state championship with the Irish in 2005 as the team’s offensive coordinator. He also coached football at Clay, his alma mater. As a player, Donnelly was a quarterback for three seasons with the Eagles, leading them to a 9-1 record as a senior in 1992. He later played quarterback at Wittenberg University and his teams went 28-3. Donnelly also played basketball and baseball in high school.