The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year in boys cross country, the 5-foot-8, 125-pound junior won the Class 4A state meet this season with a time of 15:24.9, breaking the tape 17.0 seconds ahead of his next-closest competitor and leading the Huskies to a third-place finish as a team. Kuykendall kicked off his national meet postseason with a third-place finish at the Nike Cross Southwest Regional Championships. He also took 14th at the national Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships with a state-record time of 14:25.76, missing All-American status by less than two seconds.
Kuykendall has maintained a weighted 4.50 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
A member of the Hope Christian High National Honor Society, Kuykendall has volunteered locally on behalf of multiple community service initiatives through his church.
