Year: 2019
Award: Kayak
Location/Affiliation: Lyons High School, Ft. Lewis College
- Junior Women’s Freestyle Kayak National Champion
- World Kayak Championships Bronze Medalist
- 2A High School Cross Country State Champion
Somehow, Katherine “Katie” Fankhouser, the 2018 2A High School Cross Country State Champion, manages to balance her running with world-class kayaking. And, she’s making a big splash in both.
The 2019 kayaking resume for this Lyons High School student includes winning the Junior Women’s Freestyle Kayak National Championship. Katie was a nominee for Kayak Session Magazine’s U21 Female Paddler of the Year Award. And, she brought home a bronze medal from the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Freestyle Whitewater Kayaking Championships in Spain.
Competing in Spain and at the state cross country meet afterward, required two gutsy performances. Katie went into the whitewater championships with a virus and throat infection but toughed it out to still finish third. Then, the defending state champion battled mononucleosis most of the high school season. In the end, she toughed that out, too. On championship day, she finished an inspiring fifth, and led her Lyons team to the 2A state title.
What’s next for Katie Fankhouser? Durango and Ft. Lewis College. The perfect location for both kayaking and cross country running.