Hillcrest soccer players named Academic All-State

Hillcrest High soccer players McKell Stauffer and McKayla Poulsen were named Academic All-State for their excellence in the classroom and as members of the Huskies soccer team.

Stauffer , daughter of Russ and Melody Stauffer of Sandy, maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school while helping Hillcrest to its best record in six years – a 10-6-2 showing this season – and a state quarterfinal appearance in mid-October.

“It was an amazing experience to get this award,” Stauffer said. “I have dreamed about getting it ever since I saw it awarded my sophomore year. It was so fun to see that hard work does pay off and that dreams do come true.”

Stauffer also plays competitive soccer while being a part of the IB program and service clubs at Hillcrest. Her college destination is undecided at this point.

McKayla Poulsen, who lives with her aunt Nina Colledge in Sandy, also had a 4.0 GPA in the classroom during the last four years while playing goalkeeper for the Huskies. This season, the senior recorded four shutouts against Cottonwood, Murray, Westlake and Olympus in leading Hillcrest to second place in the newly-aligned Region 7.

“It felt really good to receive this honor,” Poulsen said. “I already knew that hard work pays off and this is just another example of that for me.”

Poulsen said her work ethic has helped her balance high school and competitive soccer and Key Club activities as well as her academics. She is still undecided on a college but would like to study engineering.

“This is a huge achievement,” Hillcrest head coach Megan Beckstead said. “They both led by example on and off the field.”