Kacy Williams certainly could not have accomplished much more in high school.
A three-sport standout who earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average taking a host of gifted and talented courses, Williams still found time for clubs and volunteer work.
That impressive combination earned the Hammond senior The Baltimore Sun Howard County Girl Scholar-Athlete honors for 1993-1994.
Williams leaves Hammond as its best girls basketball player ever, setting school career records in scoring, assists and steals. This year, she earned a spot on the Nike All-American All-Star Team.
The All-Metro Co-Player of the Year capped her high school career by leading the Bears to their best record ever (24-1), their second state Class 2A title in three years, their first Howard County championship and their first No. 1 ranking in The Baltimore Sun. The Bears ended the season ranked No. 24 in the nation by USA Today.
Named to the Maryland Women's Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-Star team, Williams was one of only 10 players statewide selected to the the coaches' All-Academic team.
Also an All-Metro pick in soccer, she was named All-State for three years and All-South twice. Running outdoor track, she finished fourth in the county in the 400.
"Kacy . . is truly a gifted athlete who consistently relies on intellect, rather than natural ability, to improve her game and to defeat opponents," said Kenneth Zachmann, Hammond science department chairman.
In the classroom, Williams' accomplishments are every bit as impressive as on the basketball court. A member of the National Honor Society, she earned straight A's completing 13 gifted and talented or advanced placement courses over four years. She scored 1120 on the Scholastic Assessment Test.
She still managed to find time to serve as Howard County Black Student Achievement Club Student Advisory Council Co-Chair and Student Government Association homeroom representative as well as participate in the Latin Club and Helping Hands Saturday Tutoring Program.
Williams signed early with Georgetown and received a full athletic scholarship. She plans to study broadcasting and become a television anchorwoman. She's already off to a good start having served as host of "Kacy's Corner," a sports talk show on cable channel 6.
CHRISSY GAVIN, ATHOLTON
Class: Junior
GPA: 3.83. SAT: 1040
Sports: Soccer, basketball, softball
Other activities: National Honor Society, underclass editor for the yearbook, Student Government Association, Special Olympics volunteer, Howard County Recreation and Parks volunteer, ski club, homecoming and prom committees.
Profile: A three-sport standout, Gavin holds the Raiders career record for stolen bases in softball. She led the team in batting with a .373 average as Atholton went to the state Class 2A title game.
Currently ranked 22nd her class, Gavin has made the honor roll every semester. She finds time to volunteer at her church and for the county Rec and Parks department, where she has put in 336 hours.
"Her strengths have enabled her to develop into an extremely intuitive problem solver, one who relishes the challenge of a gifted and talented course," said chemistry teacher Jon Peterson.
ALLISON HOOVER, CENTENNIAL
Class: Senior
GPA: 3.63. SAT: 1370
Sports: Soccer, indoor track, outdoor track
Other activities: National Honor Society, Spanish Club, Celtic Studies Club, sports and news writer for school newspaper, volunteer at Johns Hopkins Childrens Center, Columbia Cleats soccer club.
Profile: A starting midfielder for the regional champion soccer team, Hoover also won four county or regional track titles. This year, she won the regional 800-meter title during the indoor season and helped her team to third in the state championships in the 1,600 relay. She was third outdoors in the county in the 1,600, while helping the Eagles to second place in both distance relays.
In four years, Hoover has taken 14 advanced placement or gifted and talented courses never earning less than a B. She has served as a committee head for the National Honor Society.
2& Hoover plans to attend Vanderbilt.
ALICIA ADAMS, GLENELG
Class: Senior
GPA: 3.94. SAT: 1190
Sports: Cross country, indoor track, outdoor track
Other activities: Student government representative, National Honor Society, Blood Drive chairman, marching and concert band, Howard County Striders, Pets-on-Wheels volunteer, works as a pet-sitter.
Profile: Adams is Glenelg's winner for the second straight year. A four-time All-Metro cross-country runner and three-time Howard County cross-country champ, she also won a state title in the indoor 1,600 this season. Adams finished with eight county track titles.
In four years, Adams has gotten only one B -- in band. She takes a heavy load of gifted and talented courses and has made the honor roll every semester. A Maryland Distinguished Scholar semifinalist, she ranks eighth in her class of 252.
Adams, who wants to work in sports medicine, plans to study kinesiology at William and Mary.
REBECCA POWELL, HOWARD
Class: Junior
GPA: 4.0. SAT: 1390.
Sports: Soccer, basketball, tennis
Other activities: National Honor Society, junior board member, FIRN office volunteer, FIRN tutor, school finalist for NCTE Writing Contest, Columbia Cleats soccer team.
Profile: Howard's outstanding freshman athlete two years ago, Powell has lived up to her athletic promise. This year, she was the steadying influence at point guard for the Lions' state championship basketball team. A two-time All-County soccer player, she was named All-State in 1992. She has played on two Maryland state teams, Under-14 and Under-17.
In the classroom, Powell has pulled down straight A's every semester while carrying a full slate of advanced placement and gifted and talented courses. Powell was a 1994 Maryland Distinguished Scholar candidate. She also volunteers on her junior class board and as a tutor and office worker for FIRN. Last year, she attended the Career Explorations in the Sciences for Young Women seminars.
This summer, she will work as a counselor at the Lions' Pride Basketball Camp.
EMILY YANERO, MOUNT HEBRON
Class: Senior
GPA: 4.0. SAT: 1230
Sports: Volleyball, basketball, tennis
Other activities: National Honor Society, yearbook editor-in-chief, Spanish Club, Mount Hebron basketball camp counselor, volunteer for Special Olympics and canned food drive, as well as at Linwood's Children's Center and Hebron House Senior Center.
Profile: An All-Metro basketball player, Yanero stands third on the Vikings all-time scoring list. She finished second in the county in scoring average with 15.3 points per game. In addition, Yanero also played volleyball and tennis.
Yanero continued her streak of 14 straight quarters on the Principal's Honor Roll. She was a Maryland Distinguished Scholar semifinalist. An accomplished artist, she had exhibits in the community art show and taught art at Pointer's Run Elementary School.
Yanero will study art and communications and play basketball at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland next year. She received the Presidential Scholarship Award, a full academic scholarship.
AMANDA BECKENSTEIN, OAKLAND MILLS
Class: Senior
GPA: 3.94. SAT: 1430
Sports: Cross country, indoor track, outdoor track
Other activities: National Honor Society, International Club, African Awareness Club, Student Government Association homeroom representative, Peer Leadership of Oakland Mills, Students Against Violating the Earth, Howard County Youth NAACP.
Profile: An All-County cross country runner, Beckenstein finished fourth in the county last season and 11th in the state in Class 2A. A captain on the Scorpions' cross country, indoor and outdoor track teams, she won the Howard County Striders' John Scherer Scholarship.
Ranked sixth in her class of 237, Beckenstein got only one B in high school and made the honor roll every semester. She is a National Merit Scholarship winner, National Achievement finalist and a Maryland Distinguished Scholar Finalist. She also received the BSAP Medal of Excellence for outstanding African-American seniors.
A teen adviser to the board of Owen Brown Association, Beckenstein also was a member of the Columbia Sister City Exchange Program.
Beckenstein is bound for Bryn Mawr College where she plans to study cognitive science or literature.
KAREN SUTTON, WILDE LAKE
Class: Senior
GPA: 3.8. SAT: 1290
Sports: Field hockey, indoor track, lacrosse
Other activities: National Honor Society, Student Government Association secretary, peer tutor, Tri-State Varsity Equestrian League, summer pool head lifeguard/manager, member Center for Talented Youth, volunteer server for Thanksgiving Dinner for the Homeless, ski club.
Profile: An All-County field hockey player, Sutton excelled in the classroom maintaining her high average while taking five advanced placement courses this year. In four years, she has taken 11 advanced placement or gifted and talented classes.
A Maryland Distinguished Scholar Honorable Mention winner as a junior, Sutton is a talented pianist. As a junior she received honorable mention in the Miriam Thomann Piano Festival.
Sutton has volunteered for many causes during her four years at Wilde Lake, including the Wilde Lake clean-up project, a Christmas Adopt-A-Family effort and as a tutor in English and algebra.
Sutton is ranked in the top 10 percent of her class and will study animal physiology or chemistry at Cornell University. She plans to become a veterinarian.