Batesville teen honored with national Musial Award for act of sportsmanship

An Arkansas high school runner who stopped to help a struggling competitor during the state cross country championships has been named a Musial Award honoree.

Kaylee Montgomery of Batesville earned the national recognition for sportsmanship after an act that unfolded in the final stretch of the 5A State Championship race last fall. Montgomery, then a senior, halted her pursuit of a personal record when she saw Greenwood runner Julia Witherington collapse and begin crawling toward the finish. While other competitors passed by, Montgomery helped Witherington to her feet and encouraged her to keep moving.

“I wasn’t really thinking,” Montgomery told Musial Award officials. “I saw her down and everyone passing her. I thought that Jesus wouldn’t pass me by. He’d pick me up.”

The moment, captured on video by Montgomery’s father, quickly spread online and drew thousands of shares. It echoed another act of sportsmanship honored by the Musial Awards in 2012, when an Ohio runner carried a fallen competitor across the finish line. In Greenwood, the story had added resonance as the community grieved the recent deaths of high school football player Isaiah Arrington, his mother and sister.

Montgomery and Witherington later stayed in touch through social media. As national attention grew, Montgomery received several scholarship offers but chose to remain close to home to study medical sonography. She continues community service work, including a humanitarian trip to Uganda and running a half-marathon to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Musial Awards, named for St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial, honor extraordinary sportsmanship and character. This year’s honorees were recently recognized in St. Louis, and the event will be airing on CBS on Sunday, December 28.

Image: Stan Musial Awards