Mackenzy Grady of South Hamilton stands with Burke Risetter, owner of the Grid Iron Grill and Sports Bar in Webster City, and her 2022 DFJ Female Athlete of the Year award. (DFJ photo by Patrick Coons)

JEWELL — Mackenzy Grady will be the first one to admit it, and quickly, too: She’s loud. She knows it, she accepts it, she doesn’t shy away from it and, in fact, she’s pretty proud of it.

That’s just how she’s always been. When it’s time to celebrate, there’s no one that is more demonstrative or, well, loud. She’s not afraid to speak up when things aren’t going well though, and it’s part what made her such a quality leader during her four years at South Hamilton.

Whether it was on the volleyball court, the basketball court, in the shot put and discus rings, or crouched behind the plate on the softball diamond, Grady was always present and always looking for a way to help her team succeed.

Her God-given abilities played a big role, sure, but so did her voice.

“Honestly, I get asked a lot as to how I’m so energetic or loud and I really don’t have a great answer,” Grady said. “It’s when that adrenaline rush kicks in, and I just love all of my teammates so much.”

Case in point: Cut to the Roland Kiwanis softball tournament in late June. South Hamilton was on the losing end against top-ranked (Class 3A) Mount Vernon, but when Kate Barkema sent the ball out of the park for her first career home run, who was front and center waiting for her at the plate? A screaming, jumping, celebrating Grady, of course. It’s just who she is.

“When Kate hit that home run, I was ecstatic,” Grady said. “I know how it feels when I do something great and I don’t want my teammates to overlook something that is huge to them. I just want them to feel like it’s a big deal, and in sports, you just crank it up a little bit.”

Grady certainly cranked everything up a notch during her senior year, as the four-sport athlete was a standout in each of her disciplines for the Hawks. Today, she’s rewarded for her accomplishments by being named the 2022 Grid Iron Grill and Sports Bar Daily Freeman-Journal Female Athlete of the Year.

Grady is only the second South Hamilton female to earn the award, which was first handed out in 2014. Ady Wintermote was the recipient in 2017.

“This award means a lot, and especially this year it feels really huge because as a senior, I wanted to show leadership,” Grady said. “It’s a lot of time and effort put in that people don’t see, like in the weight room, or the extra hours at open gyms. A lot of that stuff shows when you’re playing, but so do leadership and attitude and the connection you make with other people.”

Playing four sports throughout her high school career wasn’t easy, but Grady can’t imagine what it would have been like to take a season off. Softball will always be her first love, and it’s the sport she’ll play collegiately at Grand View University, but track and field isn’t far behind. Volleyball and basketball are neck and neck for that coveted No. 3 slot.

“In middle school, it was cool to say I was a four-sport athlete, but in high school I just kind of forgot about it,” Grady said. “Over time, it just became my schedule to be busy. These are the things I enjoy and these are the things I put my life into.”

Grady really ramped things up during the spring months when she rewrote the South Hamilton discus record on multiple occasions and settled on a career-best toss of 129 feet, 8 inches, which earned her a spot in the Drake Relays. In May, with a state medal on her mind, she went out and accomplished her goal by placing third in the Class 2A discus when a heave of 125-6, which left her just one inch out of second place.

She didn’t scream in celebration though. Rather, she cried. All of her hard work had paid off and the emotions flowed.

Grady went straight from the state track and field meet to the softball diamond where she was one of the unquestioned team leaders throughout late May, June and early July. Grady hit .398 and led the Hawks in home runs (four), RBIs (32) and extra base hits (12). Behind the plate, very few opponents attempted to steal bases on her, and six of the 10 that tried trotted dejectedly back to the dugout.

Grady capped her softball and high school career with one final dinger — a two-run shot — in a 2A regional game against Ogden, and it just happened to be the 100th hit of her career as well. Her four-year softball totals included a .388 batting average, 14 home runs and 77 RBI.

The road to the Athlete of the Year accolade began last fall when Grady earned honorable mention all-Heart of Iowa Conference honors in volleyball. She was among the Hawks’ leaders in kills (104) and also collected 55 digs.

And then it was quickly on to the hardwood where Grady started for arguably the best South Hamilton girls’ basketball team in a decade. She averaged 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game for a balanced squad, and she was also a defensive stopper on the perimeter.

The individual statistics and accolades aren’t why Grady competed though. She played, and played hard, because she loved her school and she loved her teammates. And that’s why walking away from everything she’s known is hard.

“I don’t think I’ve mentally grasped the idea that this is it, and I know I’m going to miss it a whole lot,” she said. “But I will definitely come back for some games.”

When she does return to the South Hamilton gymnasium, or to the bleachers that surround the softball field at the Mike Penning Athletic Complex, Grady is sure to still bring her voice. She’ll be loud and she’ll be proud because that’s just who she is.

A Hawk forever. And one who will be remembered.

OTHER FINALISTS

Kelly Stoakes, senior, Webster City

n Alayna Finucan, senior, Webster City

n Makena Galetich, sophomore, South Hamilton

n Ashlyn Erickson, sophomore, South Hamilton

n Delainey Bargfrede, sophomore, Webster City

FORMER WINNERS

2014

Kaylee Schnathorst, Webster City

2015

Hannah Myers, Webster City

2016

Allie Flaws, Webster City

2017

Ady Wintermote, South Hamilton

2018

Cassidy Nerland, Webster City

2019

Zoey Woodle, Webster City

2020

Taylor McKinney, Webster City

2021

Kelly Stoakes, Webster City