Friday Features: Union's Montgomery Balances Two Sports
By Ed Hooper
It’s 8 o’clock at night, and McKenna Montgomery has already had a busy day. She still has her homework and studying for exams ahead of her, too. But it’s exactly the way she wants it.
Montgomery, a sophomore at Union University, has intensified her schedule this year as she has added to her athletic resume. A member of the Union women’s basketball team, Montgomery is also now competing as a member of the Bulldogs’ women’s golf team.
“It’s different (being a two-sport athlete) in that it’s not as intense in high school,” Montgomery said. “When you’re in golf you’re not doing much offseason basketball wise. It’s separate. In college it’s more focused. You’re doing offseason things with both sports.”
A two-sport athlete at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, Mo., Montgomery was a four-time participant of the state golf tournament in high school, while scoring 1,000 points as a member of the varsity basketball team. After high school, Montgomery knew she wanted to find a school she would enjoy outside of athletics, but also a school that gave her an opportunity to play at least basketball, and maybe even golf.
Union was a perfect fit.
“At the time I was looking for a place to play basketball. They had a really great program, great coaches. I wanted to find a school I really liked, even if I didn’t get to play basketball,” Montgomery said. “I liked that it was a Christian school, because my high school was a Christian school. It was a good distance from home and I liked that, and it was small. There were a lot of things about the school I liked it.”
A typical day for Montgomery starts with her mornings filled with classes. By the early afternoon she’s on the practice range for golf, before switching into her basketball attire for her offseason workouts. After dinner, it is time for Montgomery, a business major who has plans to double major in exercise science, to hit the books and study.
“I’m really focused person. Whatever I’m doing I’m all in,” Montgomery said. “And I am goal driven, goal oriented. I like working hard. The process of working on things I love. That’s why I am doing two sports and that’s why I do a lot of schoolwork. The process.”
It’s that mindset by Montgomery that has impressed women’s basketball coach Mark Campbell, who said she’s the hardest working student-athlete he’s had in his 24-year career.
“She works harder than anyone I’ve ever coached. There is nobody to even compare her to,” Campbell said.
Montgomery will redshirt this season in basketball, a move Campbell said is best for her to learn her position better and grow as a player, while also giving her a chance to improve on the golf course.
“I think anybody that comes into our program, that first year is a shock,” Campbell said. “So this year is going to be a great learning year for her, to not have pressure of games, going from a guard to what we call a stretch forward, because she is really a great shooter.
“It also allows her to focus on being one of the better golfers in our league. I think she can do that.”
As for how Montgomery became a member of the Union golf team, coach Clay Mallard said it wasn’t a hard sell. Montgomery is a competitor and wanted to compete.
“I played with Coach Mallard and we decided it would be the best to do it,” Montgomery said. “It wasn’t one certain thing. I mean, I knew I would be good enough to play.”
Montgomery proved that in her first collegiate tournament in September by finishing 10
th. A scratch golfer, Montgomery said she was disappointed in her effort. Mallard said he could see why she was tough on herself, even in her first tournament.
“I could definitely see that. She hit the ball great both days. She didn’t putt it extremely well,” Mallard said. “Overall, it was her first collegiate golf tournament. I think there were nerves, but I also think she did really well.”
Moving forward, Mallard and Campbell both admit that it’s their responsibility to make sure Montgomery isn’t being overworked and that is continuously put into positions for success.
“I see coach Campbell every day,” Mallard said. “We are consistently talking about McKenna. She’s under both of our wings. We want to take care of her and making sure she is being taking care of. Making sure she gets rest.”
A big positive, according to Montgomery, about the balance of golf and basketball is that they are such different sports.
“It’s not like golf is super taxing. It’s not a problem. Basketball gets you in good shape,” Montgomery said. “It’s a good thing they’re so different. It helps you not get burnt out. When you focus hard in golf then more physical activity in basketball, it keeps things fresh. It helps you do both.”
Still, Mallard and Campbell are watching out for their hard worker, shutting her down and forcing her to rest.
“Her work ethic is second to none. That’s not me pushing anything extra on her,” Mallard said. “Sometimes we have to tell her to take a break. Get off the court or off the practice range.”
Follow Hooper on Twitter
@Ed_Hooper. Email comments to
edhoopermedia@gmail.com.
Join in on the conversation using
#FridayFeatures on
Twitter and
Facebook.