For as long as Kathleen Sullivan can remember, she has been playing sports. She found inspiration through her father, who was also an athlete, to begin playing lacrosse and basketball in the first grade. Her passion has kept her on the field and court ever since.
The senior has been a member of South River’s varsity basketball and lacrosse teams since her sophomore year. As a forward/guard, Sullivan made a significant impact for the Seahawks’ basketball team, and earned second-team All-County honors following the 2018 season.
“Kathleen is constantly working hard,” South River Girls’ Varsity Basketball Head Coach Mike Zivic says. “She is a great teammate, always putting the team before her personal goals. She brings a sense of calming to the court that allows the rest of her teammates to relax.”
While Sullivan has proved to be successful on the court, she truly shines on the lacrosse field. So much so that this fall, she will be taking her skills to United States Military Academy West Point in New York.
A key player for South River, Sullivan also played for the club team Integrity Lacrosse from fifth grade to the beginning of her senior year. The 5-foot-8 attacker has been able to use her height as an advantage when it comes to taking the draw as well. During her junior season, Sullivan came up with 38 draw control possessions.
“Kathleen stepped up during the playoffs and took control of the games,” South River Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Caroline Cochran says. “She kicked it into a different gear, and no one was going to stop her. She came up with critical draw controls, groundballs, assists, and goals that helped perpetuate us into the state finals. Not only did she have the confidence in herself, but her teammates trusted her in high-pressure situations.”
All of her lacrosse experience has led to an impressive list of awards, too. Her junior year, Sullivan was selected to the U.S. Lacrosse Girls’ High School All-American team. She made the Anne Arundel All-County Girls Lacrosse team, as well as the 2018 All-Met first teams for The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. Sullivan was also named The Capital’s 2018 Player of the Year. She finished her junior season with 55 goals and 22 assists.
She racks up points in the biggest contests as well. Last May, Sullivan helped the Seahawks to an 11-9 win over Dulaney High School in the Class 4A State Championship game at Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills. Sullivan led the team with three goals and two assists.
“That was really exciting,” she says. “I just wanted to win. I wasn’t really thinking about the Player of the Year, but I wanted to win states.”
A well-rounded student-athlete, Sullivan maintains a 4.0-grade point average and is on the honor roll. She’s in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) program, is a member of the National Honor Society, and serves as a aenior ambassador for South River’s freshman mentoring program. As a member of her school’s Green Wall Group, Sullivan worked with her classmates to build a ‘living wall’ out of various plants and greenery. She assists with maintenance and upkeep of the wall, which is installed on the outside of the school’s auditorium.
With high school winding down for Sullivan, she looks forward to taking her lacrosse skills to the next level at West Point, an NCAA Division I school. Sullivan plans to study law, and hopes to become a U.S. JAG (Judge Advocate General) in the Army, and then eventually a lawyer.
“I love the coaches and the team,” she says. “I also just like the whole atmosphere. Everyone is working hard, and they’re all going through the same things. I kind of like that. It’s organized, and I like the structure.”
