This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/02/2023 11:50 AMAs an athlete, the expectation of working tirelessly and exceptionally to find success can weigh deep on the mind and body, and not everyone can handle that pressure. For Kat Baseggio, she took this mindset and ran with it as she found success as a three-sport athlete and captain for Guiilford this past season.
As a key contributor and captain her senior year for the soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams, Kat was a standout athlete from the start of her high school tenure — making the varsity team for all three sports beginning her freshman year and helping to lead the girls’ lacrosse squad to its third straight Class M state title this spring.
With lacrosse running deep in her blood, it was the tone set by family that encouraged Kat to get involved with the sport at a young age, and she never looked back.
“I started playing in elementary school when I was pretty young. My brother played and I thought it was an interesting sport,” says Kat. “So my mom signed me up for a clinic and here I am.”
Balancing three different sports and putting equal effort into all of them can prove to be a challenge, but it was the close-knit relationship she had with the fellow seniors on each squad that kept her going.
“This past year went pretty well. I was lucky enough to be captain for all three sports, and we did pretty well in all three seasons,” says Kat. “I love my team and the senior classes for all three were just so close because we have all been playing together for so long. It was nice to finish it out, mostly on high notes all together, especially lacrosse.”
Guilford girls’ lacrosse Head Coach Wendy Epke coached Kat throughout all four years of her tenure, seeing her as a true role model who doesn’t back down from any task.
“Kat does a great job by leading through example. She is a hard worker, she plays three sports, and was captain for all three, which is a big key to say in high school,” says Epke. “She is willing to play any position we ask of her and work hard while she is doing it.”
This past spring, Kat played as a midfielder on the turf, although her true position is defense. In the midfield, she totaled 16 goals, 22 assists, 46 groundballs, 53 draw controls, and 30 caused turnovers.
“I have always liked defense more and as I took lacrosse more seriously, I started year-round lacrosse in 8th grade. That was when I picked defense,” says Kat. “I played middie this past year for senior year. I know what it is like to play on both sides of the field, defense has just always been my favorite.”
Not only did Kat get to witness a three-peat of the state championship crown for lax, but she was additionally named Athlete of the Year for the Grizzlies, proving even more her importance and value to each squad she was a part of.
“I was really honored, it was great. I love Guilford Athletics, I love what they do for their student-athletes, and it just has been amazing being a Grizzlie these pasts four years,” says Kat. “The way they handled everything through COVID, the way the coaches are there for you, the atmospheres that they create, it has just been an honor to play for Guilford. It is an honor to be given that title.”
Epke knows the Athlete of the Year recognition isn’t something that should be taken lightly, and she commends Kat for her ability to perform at a high level during every season that passed.
“It is hard to play three sports in high school, especially since each season has its own grind,” Epke says. “The winter season is so long, the spring season interferes with all of the end-of-year activities. I am really happy that she got the award. It shows younger kids coming to school that it is possible to play three sports and find success in all three of them.”
Throughout Kat’s high school athletic career, she became a very decorative athlete. In soccer, she was named to the All-SCC First Team in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and to the All-State First Team in 2021 and 2022. She was also a member of the squad that won the Class M State Championship in 2020.
Kat’s career totals for lacrosse included 26 goals, 27 assists, 78 draw controls, 71 caused turnovers, and 109 groundballs. She was named to the All-State First Team in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and was additionally an All-SCC First Team athlete in those same years.
Kat also excels in the classroom, as a member of the National Honor Society and French Honor Society. She was named a Scholar Athlete and made the Academic All-State team.
As Kat concludes her time in a Guilford uniform, in which she made an indelible mark on athletics, she is excited to take her lacrosse journey to the next level when she attends the University of Delaware in the fall. Having the opportunity to participate in a Division I program is something Kat certainly doesn’t take for granted, and she has high hopes for the next four years.
“I have met everyone on my team, and they are amazing. I am excited for what’s to come. Our future looks really bright, we play together a few times during the summer,” says Kat. “I am excited to see what we can do as a class and as a team. I am very excited for this opportunity to play at a higher level, and I hope it goes as well as I want it to.”