BY KEN MORSE
CITIZEN’S NEWS
Editor’s note: This is the third in a four-part series about the 2021-2022 CIAC scholar-athletes of the year from Naugatuck and Woodland.
The measure of success is hardly an exact science and is often viewed under the interpretation of another’s opinion. It’s awfully hard, however, to hide from the spotlight when you stand out from the crowd.
Naugatuck senior three-sport athlete Kaylee Jackson has always been one of those standing out among the crowd type of athletes. That has earned her the 2022 All-State Scholastic Athlete award.
The 39th annual CAS-CIAC Scholar-Athlete Awards banquet was held May 23 at the Aqua Turf in Southington in honor of the 350 athletes in attendance. Two senior athletes are selected from each of the member schools in Connecticut whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary and whose personal standards and achievements are a model for others showing high levels of integrity, self-discipline and courage.
Right from the start Jackson was that kind of athlete that made a difference all the way back at City Hill when she played soccer, basketball and track. Being a 4.0 GPA student-athlete shows the ability to achieve success in the classroom and on the field of competition.
“It really comes down to time management,” said Jackson, who will be going on to play volleyball at Roger Williams University in the fall while studying elementary education and psychology.
“I have been a multiple-sport athlete for a while and you tend to develop a time management system to make sure all of your responsibilities are taken care of. You need to be accountable to your studies as well as your practices.”
Jackson has been a difference maker since the first time she put on the Greyhound uniform. She was a two-time All-Iron Division basketball player, scoring 615 career points. A top-ten finisher at the NVL championships in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in track, she also earned All-Iron Division as a member of the second place 4×800 relay team in 2019.
“Being a three-sport athlete, you are always trying to balance your academics and your athletic responsibilities,” said Jackson. “It’s an honor to receive All-League or All-Division in the sport you are competing in. But receiving All-State honors for the work you have done in the classroom is so rewarding.”
It was on the volleyball court that Jackson really excelled. In helping her team win the 2019 NVL championship, she was rewarded by earning All-NVL and All-State honors. It was quite clear that her path to being a collegiate athlete was on the volleyball court as she began to work on her game in the offseason.
Jackson said, “All of my high school teammates were really supportive, as well as my coaches. I loved being a three-sport athlete but my heart was with volleyball for some time.”
Her passion for sports kept her in the game playing four years of basketball and track but she was especially driven in volleyball. She played in the offseason for a travel program for three years, the CT STARS of Danbury, and gained a lot of exposure in the process and improved her skill level along the way. The two-time All-NVL and All-State volleyball player will look to make an immediate impact in her new surroundings in the fall.
“The campus is in Bristol, R.I.,” said Jackson. “It’s in a small town and a beautiful place to be. There were other schools I looked at but Roger Williams, the first time I stepped on the campus I knew this would be the place for me.”
