Tesa McKibben's accomplishments are pretty impressive: a school record in one sport, 1,000 career points in a second, and three state medals in a third.
Pretty impressive, yes, but here's the scary thing: She has one more year left. McKibben performed at a high level in three different sports during her junior year. For her efforts, she was named the Sun Gazette's Female Athlete of the Year for the 2007-08 season.
"I'm shell-shocked," McKibben, said. "I didn't think I would do well. I practiced and had a lot of help from coaches on the field and on the court. It helped a lot."
McKibben started her 11th-grade year by helping Montoursville's soccer team reach the PIAA Class AA semifinals.
She scored a goal in every state playoff game, including three in a 3-1 win over East Juniata in the first round. She had a goal in a 2-1 win over rival Loyalsock in the quarterfinals and the team's lone score in a 2-1 loss to Villa Joseph Marie in the Eastern Regional Final. She finished the season with 45 goals, an average of nearly two a game, and in the process established a school record for career goals (88), with one more year to play.
"She definitely has a lot of confidence every time she steps on the field," Montoursville girls soccer coach Erin Bennett said. "She has confidence in herself, her teammates have confidence, and she is surrounded by good players. She's very coachable. She's a great kid and a great role model. I can't say enough good things about her."
McKibben has made great strides in soccer during her three years. After winning the program's first district title in 2004, when McKibben was still in middle school, the Warriors were upset in her freshman year. McKibben bounced back and helped lead her team to the state playoffs before losing to eventual state champion South Williamsport in the second round. This past year, McKibben and the Warriors wouldn't be denied, going 21-4, exacting revenge on the Mounties and capturing the team's second district crown in four years.
"We all played so hard," McKibben said. "We put a lot of time in and it's amazing that we made it that far. We obviously wanted a district title. We wanted to go farther than the previous year."
"Even as a freshman, Tesa really made a big impact for us," Bennett said. "She's had a great high school career. She's always fit, ready to run 80 minutes. Her maturity and confidence have grown the most. It's allowed her to take more of a leadership role and make an impact."
The soccer team's long run in the state playoffs set McKibben back a few weeks in basketball, but it took little time for her to get back into mid-season form.
All she did was lead the area in scoring, averaging 19.7 points per game. She scored just under 500 points for the season and entered the school's record books early in 2008, making a free throw against St. John Neumann to break the 1,000-point plateau.
"It was crazy because I needed just a point," McKibben said. "I had a lot of support from friends and family. It meant a lot."
The impressive aspect of McKibben's point total is not the points itself, but the fact that because she was one of the district's best players, she garnered nearly all of the attention of the opponent's defense. But it didn't matter. McKibben still put up the numbers and was a Susquehanna Valley League (SVL) all-star.
"She can not only shoot, she can also drive," Montoursville coach Craig Weaver Jr, said. "She plays the inside-outside game which is really effective. She is probably the quickest basketball player in the area as well. She usually gets by anybody that tries to guard her."
As the snow started to melt and it got warmer out, McKibben began to train for a sport that she had considerable success in as a sophomore.
McKibben finished second in the state in the long jump in 2007 and, despite not winning a state championship this year, still brought home three state medals.
She finished fifth in the 300-meter hurdles and seventh in both the long jump and the triple jump.
"I was happy with three medals but I didn't do my best," McKibben said. "I was disappointed because at states you're supposed to shine and when you don't reach expectations it's kind of disappointing."
McKibben, says her performance at state track gave her motivation in the spring sport her senior year.
"I don't do anything in the offseason for track," McKibben said. "One of my top goals is to be a gold medalist but it will be hard because there are so many great athletes."
Now that her junior season is over, one might think McKibben would take a break, but probably not. It's not even July yet, and McKibben is already participating in basketball open gyms and practicing soccer.
"Not too many athletes can do what she does," Weaver said. "To be able to go from track to soccer and basketball and succeed the way she does happens very rarely any more. She's definitely one of the top players in anything she does."
Added girls track and field coach Stephanie Bedison, "She doesn't take a break. She plays three sports that overlap each other. She really never had a break. She could transition into the next sport without a hiccup. She could go to the next sport and do well."
"She goes year-round, non-stop and excels at all sports," Bennett said. "If she had room to fit tennis in her schedule she'd probably be good at it. She's very gifted, very passionate. You just can't get a better package."
