Kailene Abt Builds New Legacy at Notre Dame
Huntington lacrosse fans knew that Kailene Abt is a talented athlete so when they learned she had accepted a scholarship to play at Notre Dame they hoped the Blue Devil great would shine on the much larger stage of a Big East school. She’s done just that, quickly becoming and indispensable part of the Fighting Irish program.
Abt, a 5-11 midfielder played in 17-of-19 Notre Dame games last spring, scoring seven goals, notching a pair of assists and firing off 28 shots, including 19 on goal. Her freshman season included scooping up ten ground balls, drawing 20 defensive charges and causing seven turnovers.
“Kailene Abt was one of our most successful female athletes,” said Georgia D. McCarthy, Huntington’s director of athletics. “Stepping right into the Notre Dame program and becoming a solid D-1 lacrosse player is a direct reflection of being a three-sport athlete in Huntington. Kailene played in three different varsity programs starting her freshman year with three different coaching influences.”
Abt’s reputation for possessing an exceptional attitude and work ethic is well-known throughout athletic circles. Gifted both offensively and defensively, she shined in four years of high school play, winning first team All-American honors as a Huntington senior and playing in the national lacrosse All-Star game.
“I found Kailene to be an extremely hardworking and caring individual,” said Brad Reminick, who coached Abt on the Blue Devil basketball team. “We had a wonderful relationship while she was an athlete. It is a relationship that still continues today while she is at college and I am very proud of that. She was always willing to help out her teammates and was the voice of reason in the huddle. She never seemed to panic when it got a bit tough. The great ones seem to posses that quality.”
With the Huntington lacrosse team, Abt scored 165 goals and added 88 assists, winning 88 percent of her draws. As a Blue Devil senior, she recorded 62 goals and 25 assists and was one of the top female athletes in Suffolk.
Abt’s Huntington career included playing on the varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. She earned All-County honors four times in lax and was All-County in basketball and All-League in soccer while serving as a team for all three teams. Her three-sport resume has served her well.
“This gave her a very strong foundation of physical skills, game strategies and work ethic in three different sports but they are so very similar in offense and defense,” McCarthy said. “College coaches want three season athletes and this is an example of why.”
Abt, who plans to major in business at Notre Dame, picked up her first collegiate assist in a 16-4 victory over Duquesne. The win was the 100th in the history of the Fighting Irish program, making it especially memorable. Abt’s first goal in NCAA play came in the second half of a 14-11 victory over Ohio State on Feb. 24.
Abt’s freshman campaign included winning Big East Defensive Player of the Week honors after coming off the bench to help Notre Dame win its first conference game of the year as it turned back Loyola, 13-11. Abt scored a goal, forced four turnovers, picked up two ground balls and had a pair of draw controls, playing a key role in holding Loyola to only four second half goals.
The Huntington alum has made her way back to her her alma mater several times since joining the Notre Dame family. One of Abt’s trips home saw her taking in a Blue Devil girls’ basketball game, sitting in the stands with former teammate Morgan Hughes, who was home from the University of New Hampshire and meeting with players and coaches after the final buzzer sounded.
A legend at Huntington High School, Abt is well on her way to carving out a new legacy at Notre Dame. No one is foolish enough to underestimate what this 19-year old is capable of achieving.
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