March 07, 2019 at 07:09PM
Madison Central senior Kenyandra Mason, or Keke as she is known by her friends, didn't expect to fall in love with track and field when she joined the team at B. Michael Caudill Middle School.
It was just something she did to keep her busy when she wasn't cheering.
However, that hobby soon turned into a passion and Mason grew into one of the top triple jump athletes in the state.
That success led to a scholarship offer to compete at the Division I level.
Earlier this school year, Mason signed a letter of intent to join the track team at Murray State.
Not bad for someone that just needed to fill in some time.
"I've been a cheerleader for six years and cheerleading is 11 months out of the year," Mason explained. "The one month I'm off, is the month I use to transition to track. I've always been active and I needed something to do with my time off to stay busy."
Mason said her friends encouraged her in middle school to join the track and field team.
"My friends were doing it, so I just decided to try it," Mason said.
At first, the three-time region champion, said she detested it.
"I didn't like running," the senior said with a laugh. "I didn't really know if I was going to be any good."
However, Mason discovered she had a knack for the long jump and triple jump -- a natural fit for the acrobatic cheerleader.
Central jumps coach Mark Pressley also noticed Mason's burgeoning talent.
"I'm so grateful to Mr. Pressley," Mason said. "He has helped me so much throughout these last three years. It's when I came here to Central that I really started jumping and he helped me become better. I grew to love it."
Mason said the intensity of track and field was not that much different from cheerleading practice, but does admit her knees take a beating when she is transitioning from sport to sport.
The athlete recovers quickly and Mason has dominated the girl's regional triple jump for three straight seasons.
In last year's regional competition, the senior not only took the title in the triple jump (34-10.50) she also claimed the top spot in the long jump (15-11.25).
It was a huge feat as Mason started off the competition scratching multiple times in the long jump and not recording a score. She also scratched twice in the opening round of the triple jump, but pushed through to the finals.
In 2017, Mason posted a mark of 34-04.00 in the triple jump and also took second in the long jump with a personal-best distance of 15-06.00.
Last season, she took fifth in the triple jump at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Class 3A State Track Meet in Lexington.
In 2017, Mason placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 35-08.25 and also placed 15th in the long jump at the state meet.
Mason said she considered offers from Lindsay Wilson College and Oakland University in Michigan, before finally deciding to continue her education at Murray State.
"Whenever I went to visit, it was like a home to me. The girls were nice and they have great academics. It was like being with my track family here at Central," Mason explained.
The senior will be majoring in nursing at Murray State.
Mason said she is blessed to have had the opportunity to be successful in two great programs at Central.
Madison Central senior Kenyandra Mason, or Keke as she is known by her friends, didn't expect to fall in love with track and field when she joined the team at B. Michael Caudill Middle School.
It was just something she did to keep her busy when she wasn't cheering.
However, that hobby soon turned into a passion and Mason grew into one of the top triple jump athletes in the state.
That success led to a scholarship offer to compete at the Division I level.
Earlier this school year, Mason signed a letter of intent to join the track team at Murray State.
Not bad for someone that just needed to fill in some time.
"I've been a cheerleader for six years and cheerleading is 11 months out of the year," Mason explained. "The one month I'm off, is the month I use to transition to track. I've always been active and I needed something to do with my time off to stay busy."
Mason said her friends encouraged her in middle school to join the track and field team.
"My friends were doing it, so I just decided to try it," Mason said.
At first, the three-time region champion, said she detested it.
"I didn't like running," the senior said with a laugh. "I didn't really know if I was going to be any good."
However, Mason discovered she had a knack for the long jump and triple jump -- a natural fit for the acrobatic cheerleader.
Central jumps coach Mark Pressley also noticed Mason's burgeoning talent.
"I'm so grateful to Mr. Pressley," Mason said. "He has helped me so much throughout these last three years. It's when I came here to Central that I really started jumping and he helped me become better. I grew to love it."
Mason said the intensity of track and field was not that much different from cheerleading practice, but does admit her knees take a beating when she is transitioning from sport to sport.
The athlete recovers quickly and Mason has dominated the girl's regional triple jump for three straight seasons.
In last year's regional competition, the senior not only took the title in the triple jump (34-10.50) she also claimed the top spot in the long jump (15-11.25).
It was a huge feat as Mason started off the competition scratching multiple times in the long jump and not recording a score. She also scratched twice in the opening round of the triple jump, but pushed through to the finals.
In 2017, Mason posted a mark of 34-04.00 in the triple jump and also took second in the long jump with a personal-best distance of 15-06.00.
Last season, she took fifth in the triple jump at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Class 3A State Track Meet in Lexington.
In 2017, Mason placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 35-08.25 and also placed 15th in the long jump at the state meet.
Mason said she considered offers from Lindsay Wilson College and Oakland University in Michigan, before finally deciding to continue her education at Murray State.
"Whenever I went to visit, it was like a home to me. The girls were nice and they have great academics. It was like being with my track family here at Central," Mason explained.
The senior will be majoring in nursing at Murray State.
Mason said she is blessed to have had the opportunity to be successful in two great programs at Central.