Kimberly Young

Kimberly Young began her illustrious athletic career early, joining the varsity track and field team in the 8th grade for both indoor and outdoor seasons, followed by varsity field hockey in 9th grade. Her dedication and talent in sports earned her numerous accolades, including two Sidney Outstanding Athlete awards in field hockey and one in track and field.

Kimberly was recognized as a Section IV Field Hockey All-Star, making the Division II Second Team in 2006 and the Division II First Team in 2007. Continuing her success in 2008, she was chosen as captain of the field hockey team, leading them to their first playoff appearance in many years. Kimberly was named to the Midstate Athletic Conference Field Hockey All-Star First Team and to the All-State Field Hockey Team. She was also selected to the Central NY Team for the Empire State Games.

Throughout her track and field career, Kimberly amassed a collection of ribbons and medals through outstanding performances in Section IV, the Midstate Athletic Conference, and various Invitationals. Her achievements include two first-place medals in the 400m hurdles, three additional medals at the Monticello Games, seven medals at the Midstate Athletic Conferences, and two medals at the Section IV Championship meets. She was part of the Midstate Athletic Conference League Champion Team and the record-breaking 3x100m hurdle shuttle relay team in 2008. Kimberly was a Division II Section IV Second Team All-Star in the triple jump and a Section IV First Team All-Star for her performances in the 55m hurdles and first-place finish in the 1000m at the Division II Section IV Class Meet. In 2008, Kimberly matched the school record in the 800m event and was recognized with the Legacy Award by the SCSAA as a Track and Field Record Holder for the 400m dash. Kimberly was honoured with the prestigious Douglas Quinney Award and the Regina Reynolds Sportsmanship Award, along with being a five-time awardee of the Sportsmanship Award in track and field.

In addition to her athletic achievements, Kimberly was a stellar student. She accumulated 14 Scholar-Athlete awards in field hockey and track and field during her high school years. She was a member of the Lydia C. Metz Chapter of the National Honor Society, Treasurer of the Varsity Letter Club, and part of the Science Olympiad Team. Kimberly made the Superintendent's List countless times and the Four for Four Club, maintaining a 95-100% average throughout four straight semesters. She received the Student Council Achievement Award for Exceptional Service to the School, an Outstanding Character Recognition award for Responsibility, and was invited to the Global Young Leaders Conference by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council. Kimberly excelled in technology with a first-place win in the Southern Tier Technology project exhibition, sponsored by the New York State Technology Education Association, and she was honoured with the Technology Education Award for Outstanding Achievement by the United States Air Force. She was recognized for her excellence in mathematics and sciences with the George A. Gregory Mathematics Award and Foundation Scholarship, the Amphenol Corporation/Aerospace Operations Mathematics and Science Award, and the Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award in recognition of outstanding achievement and superior intellectual promise in the field of science, sponsored by the University of Rochester.

In 2009, Kimberly was bestowed with the Francis L. Redmond Scholar Athlete Award. She graduated with an Advanced Designation Regents Diploma and as an Honor Society Member, an Honor Graduate, and with a Superintendent Medal. Kimberly was the Salutatorian of her class in 2009. She graduated high school a semester early to start her university athletic career as a grey shirt.

From 2009 to 2013, Kimberly attended the University of Massachusetts on a sports scholarship for Division I field hockey, where she excelled academically and athletically. Her academic achievements include being a member of the NFHCA National Academic Squad, earning a place twice on the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference, and twice on the Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll

Kimberly's university sports performance was exceptional. As a freshman, she received the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Rookie of the Week title twice, was selected for the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Rookie Team, and made the Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team. In 2010, Kimberly was selected for the Trinidad and Tobago National Field Hockey Team, but she declined to play at this time in pursuit of playing for the US team. Throughout the remainder of her career at UMass, she received many accolades. She was selected as the UMass Athlete of the Week, was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team twice, and was selected to the NFHCA Second Team All-Region. She was the two-time leading points scorer for her team and was selected as Team Captain for her Senior year. Her team won the Atlantic 10 Championship title and made two NCAA tournament appearances. Upon completing her Division I career, Kimberly was offered a full sponsorship by Dita USA, kindly supplying all her field hockey gear over the years, and still to this day. In 2013, Kimberly graduated Cum Laude in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and with a Minor in Psychology.

From 2009 to 2015, Kimberly participated in the USA National Field Hockey Team evaluation process, being selected twice for both the Junior Trials and for further selection into the Junior National Camp, the most elite camp in the country. She was also selected five times for Senior Trials.

Her club field hockey career took her around the globe, playing and coaching in England, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. In 2013, Kimberly made her first Premier League team in England, achieving Premier League Winners in the regular season and securing second place in the Premier League Playoffs twice. She also competed in the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup - the largest and highest-level field hockey club tournament in Europe. During her time in England, Kimberly coached junior players in the England Development Program and helped coach the lower-grade teams at her club. She also completed a Master's Degree in Science, at The University of Kent, in Drug Design, graduating with top marks.

From 2015 to 2016, Kimberly played professional field hockey in Australia, helping a second-division team get promoted to the Premier League in 2015. During this time, she coached a junior girls' team through an undefeated season. Kimberly continued to play for a Premier League field hockey team in 2016 and helped coach juniors in the Australian Development Program. In 2017, while continuing to coach junior teams, she played Premier League field hockey in New Zealand and the Overgangsklasse (second division) in the field hockey hub of the world, the Netherlands, where she was selected into the First Team at a club with 20 Women's Teams.

Kimberly decided to join the international field hockey scene in 2017. She represented the Women's National Field Hockey Team of Trinidad and Tobago from 2017 to 2023. She competed in World League Round II in Canada in 2017 and won a bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games held in Colombia in 2018. In 2022, she served as Team Captain at the Pan American Cup in Chile, leading her team to qualify for the 2023 Pan American Games.

During her international tenure, Kimberly moved back to Australia in 2018 to continue playing Premier League-level field hockey, earning several MVP game awards over the years and volunteering as a club committee member. She continued her education, completing a second Master's Degree in Biomedical Science at Curtin University in 2020, graduating with high distinction. In 2024, she decided to shift her focus to track and field, though she continues to play Master's field hockey and is likely to play for the Master's State Team at the Master's National Championship next year.

In track and field, Kimberly showcased her versatility, winning silver medals in the Open Women's 4x400m State Relay in 2021 and in the Open Women's State 100m hurdles in 2022. She also won gold in the 400m hurdles at the 2022 Australian Masters Games. Kimberly's success continued in 2023 with another silver at the State Championship in the Open Women's 400m hurdles and culminated in 2024 when she won gold in the Open Women's State 400m hurdles, qualifying for the National Championship. She ran in the 4km HBF Run for a Reason charity event, finishing as the first female in her age group out of 1,552 people. Earlier this year, Kimberly broke the Western Australian State Record and the Australian National Record for the Women's 30-34 1000m, and she remains the existing record holder.

Kimberly is completing a PhD in Medicine at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research through the University of Western Australia, supported by a full academic scholarship. Her dream career is to research human athletic performance on a molecular level. In 2025, she is aiming to set the State Record for the Women's 30-34 400m hurdles and to compete at the National Championship in the Open Women's 400m hurdles. Kimberly aspires to perform at the World Masters Athletics Championships and be in contention for a medal in the Women's 35-39 400m hurdles in 2026.