Athlete of the Week: ‘Guinny’ helps the Sea Kings go
There are times that Corona del Mar High girls’ lacrosse coach Aly Simons admires senior co-captain Kennedy McGuinness for her versatility and positive attitude.
On the lacrosse field, Simons knows what to expect from McGuinness, a four-year varsity player.
But there are also the times in practice when McGuinness is just unpredictable. She knows how to make her CdM teammates and Simons laugh.
“The other day, we were doing a team cheer,” Simons said. “She randomly had this crazy accent while she was saying one-two-three.”
McGuinness just giggled when asked about that. Don’t ask her to recreate it; it just comes out in the moment. She said she also has several nicknames on the team, including the most popular one, “Guinny.”
“Getting the team laughing is an important part to any team,” said McGuinness, who has a similar job as the chaplain for the CdM Youth & Government club, which she described as a cheerleader sort of role. “I mean, I really like being weird, because I like making people laugh. Sometimes I will be, and I’m glad they found it funny.”
There’s nothing funny, though, about what McGuinness means to the girls’ lacrosse team, which improved to 12-2 after upsetting Foothill, 12-7, on Friday.
McGuinness is tied for fourth on CdM with 15 goals scored this season, and her 18 draw controls are also fourth on the Sea Kings. The 15 goals have come on just 29 shots, a more-than-respectable shooting percentage of 52 percent.
But the stats clearly don’t tell the whole story. Simons, in her eighth season in charge, called McGuinness one of the most coachable girls to come through the CdM program. She started playing the sport in seventh grade, with Newport Wedge.
As a freshman at CdM, McGuinness didn’t play a whole lot, but when she did she played defense. She said it was still a valuable experience to be on varsity and learn from then-seniors like Kylie Mulvaney, Meredith Davin and Molly Rovzar.
“I didn’t really play, and that was hard, but I got to learn that you’ve got to start somewhere and then you build,” McGuinness said. “I really got to build from that experience. I just picked up different skills from different girls who have taught me. Having those mentors was super-beneficial to my growth as a player, and it’s definitely an experience that I’m really grateful for.”
That mature attitude has benefited the Sea Kings, who also have Paige Nelson, Courtney Johnston and Lauren Grable as the three other senior co-captains. Yet there are also strong juniors like San Diego State commit Jensen Coop and Fresno State commit Kennedy Mulvaney, as well as standouts like defenders Katherine Mulvaney, Hailey Neumann and Katie McCabe. Even underclassmen like sophomore goalie Ashley Olson and freshmen phenoms like Ellery Amdor and defender Joslyn Simaan also play big roles.
On a more experienced team like this, McGuinness can still benefit the team with her positive attitude as well. She constantly seems to be smiling. She has taken her several roles on CdM in stride, typically starting the game in the attack position before rotating in at midfielder.
“I try to keep a positive attitude and promote good sportsmanship,” said McGuinness, the second of four siblings and whose older brother, Nick, ran track at CdM. “We’re a really close team, and I think that’s why we can say something to a teammate. We’ve never had any problems that go beyond lacrosse. We’re a really tight group of girls. We don’t get mad at each other. Maybe we’ll say, ‘Next time you need to pass the ball off,’ or, ‘Next time you don’t need to cut through.’ Even if that’s said in a tone that’s harsher, it never goes beyond that one moment.
“We have some really incredible players this year. Mentally, we have bonded a ton. Our defense impresses me every time we play.”
McGuinness also has provided some standout individual moments. She scored the game-winning goal in sudden-death overtime as CdM rallied to beat Santa Margarita earlier this season. This past weekend, she scored on both of her shots on goal and had an assist as CdM beat Newport Harbor, 9-7, in the Battle of the Bay game.
The game was tough mentally, as CdM fell behind by a goal twice in the second half. It was also tough physically, with five total yellow cards issued.
“The lacrosse program at Harbor is definitely growing and getting better, which in my opinion is exciting,” McGuinness said. “The closer the game is, the more exciting it is. With that, the more aggressive we get as well, but that’s part of the rivalry. I think we were all just fired up. We were out there to play and we were out there to win it.”
CdM, which appears likely to share the Pacific Coast League title with Beckman for the third time in five seasons, is gearing up for what it hopes to be a lengthy run in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division playoffs.
If they do, McGuinness will undoubtedly play a big role. She’ll continue to make her teammates smile with her jokes, and her coaches smile with her play.
“She’s a very consistent player, but has grown significantly over the course of the year into one of our impact players,” Simons said. “She has the athletic ability to play midfield. She very rarely gets winded. And I think in the midfield, she has that maturity we need sometimes, the composure.”
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Kennedy McGuinness
Born: July 8, 1997
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 5-foot-5
Sport: Lacrosse
Year: Senior
Coach: Aly Simons
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite movie: “The Help”
Favorite athletic moment: Helping CdM come back from an 8-1 deficit and scoring the winning overtime goal in a 13-12 win over Santa Margarita earlier this season.
Week in review: McGuinness, a co-captain, made both of her shots and added an assist as CdM edged Newport Harbor, 9-7, in the Battle of the Bay game on April 16.
