Photographs courtesy Dauses family
Kent Island High Schooler balances four sports and a number of extracurricular activities
Photographs courtesy Dauses family
It seems like Lacey Dauses wanted to play every sport at Kent Island High School. She limited herself to four: basketball, soccer, equestrian, and track and field. That’s only part of what makes the senior an ideal student-athlete.
Dauses carries a weighted 4.25 weighted grade-point average, serves as executive president of student government association, helped found the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a member of the National English Honor Society, and coaches at the Weber’s Basketball Camp in Annapolis. She will have taken nine advanced placement classes by the time she graduates from high school.
On top of those things, Dauses competes in equestrian by jumping and doing speed races with her horse, Cannon, in the Queen Anne’s County Fair Horse Show, and works as a hostess at Knoxie’s Table in Stevensville. “I really love everything I do,” Dauses explains. “It would be hard for me to stop doing anything. I can handle a lot. There are a lot of late nights and early mornings. Last year, my horse got injured. So, I was up at 2 a.m. a lot of nights. Then, I had to go to school and the next day I have a game.”
Not many athletes are gifted enough to make the choice that faces the 5-foot-9 Dauses, who has won several individual championships. She must decide whether to play basketball or run indoor and outdoor track in college. West Point and Iona University recruited Dauses for track.
Several Division III schools, including Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, have recruited her for basketball, what she calls her favorite sport. The situation is fluid since Dauses expects to be contacted by more schools for the three sports during this school year.
“I am most likely going to attend a small catholic university,” Dauses says. “I can run track at most of those schools with the times I have ran. I am not sure if I want to run track yet, and for basketball, I am also trying to discern if I want to pursue that.”
Dauses’ talent made her a consistent winner in both individual events and relays, and she qualified for four events (400 meters, 800, 1,600, and 3,200 relays) in the Maryland State Championship the past two years. Her sophomore season in track and field was outstanding. Dauses won Bayside Conference championships in the 400 and 800 meters while anchoring the Bayside title-winning 1,600-meter team.
The 17-year-old Dauses also enjoyed plenty of success as a junior. She earned conference championships in the 400, 800, and the 800 relay team while placing sixth overall in the state in the 800.
“She is such a powerhouse,” Kent Island Track Coach Kalyn Stout says. “I think the Division I college coaches are not just seeing that she is a phenomenal athlete. But they are seeing how much of a role model and leader she is. Who wouldn’t want her to represent their school?”
Dauses is primed for a stellar senior season. She may add the 200 meters to her list of events. “My eyes will be on her winning states in individual events,” Stout says of the 400 and 800. “Even placing in the top three at states is absolutely an accomplishment.”
Dauses shined in basketball, too. This winter will mark her fourth season as a starter at shooting guard/small forward and second year as co-captain. She averaged 13 points, six rebounds, and five steals per game in 2025. Dauses figures to be in the spotlight even more for the 2025/2026 season since she’s the lone senior on the team.
Her impact for Kent Island goes all the way back to her freshman year. Dauses helped Kent Island to a 26-1 record and berth in the Class 2A state championship game, where the team lost to Lackey. She had a memorable game in the state semifinal, keying a win over Hereford by totaling 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
“She is like a motor,” Kent Island Girls Basketball Coach David Plumer says. “She goes nonstop. She is the heart and soul of the team. She plays well at both ends of the court. She is such a pleasure to coach.”
