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WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
Kayla Adams produces success both on, off the court
BY NELLIE VINOGRAD
STAFF WRITER
To be a captain of a team takes more than athletic skill. It
requires patience, humor and responsibility.
For senior Kayla Adams, starting shooting guard and
captain for Guilford College's women's basketball team,
being an ideal captain comes naturally.
She knows when to step up and when the team needs to
have fun.
"Kayla is the type of person that looks out for everyone,"
said junior guard Brittany Drew. "I can remember one
practice she helped one of our players by running with her
to finish, even after she finished."
'That's.just the person she is — selfless."
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Senior Kayla Adams, starting shooting guard and captain, leads
the team with her smong work ethic, selflessness and positivity.
Adams has also helped Guilford win back-to-back Old
Dominion Sports Championships. However, Adams said
that there is more to her experiences than winning.
"Basketball is not only about the championships, but
about the relationships," said Adams in a phone interview.
Adams, who will graduate in May, has developed strong
relationships with her teammates since her first year on
campus.
she tries to be as inclusive as possible with
everyone from seniors to first-years. Building
strong relationships and transferring that rapport
to the court is one of the reasons for their success.
As a captain, Adams is a responsible role
model. Along with co-captains and seniors Gabby
Oglesby and Morgan King, she has established
a friendly and supportive environment for the
team.
At practice, head women's basketball coach
Stephanie Flamini said that Adams is able to
strike a good balance between friendliness and
leadership, and her work ethic is apparent at
all times, not just at games.
"She stays positive," said Flamini. "She's
not afraid to tell people things and be vocal.
We'll definitely miss her experience and the
way she relates to people."
Oglesby agreed that establishing
relationships has been important, and
Adams has provided the right example for
the team.
"She has a sense of humor with it," said
Oglesby. "She knows how to lighten the
mood, and she knows how to be serious
when the team needs it."
Adams admitted that making the
move firom being a typical teammate
to being a leader was difficult in some
ways.
"I've had people be role models
for me, and this year I had to be that
for the team," said Adams. "Changin'
into the captain role has been one of
biggest transitions. You just do what you
need to do."
Adams is just as ambitious in the classroom as she is
on the court. She said that being a dedicated student has
always been important to her, and she has worked to
focus on academics first.
Originally a business major, Adams switched to
sports management.
"I feel like I can talk to anybody," said Adams. "It's
really a family aspect of the College."
Adams' advisor. Bob Malekoff, associate professor
of sport studies, said that he has seen Adams grow as
a student and a teammate since her first year.
"She has grown to be a very dependable, consistent
person," said Malekoff. "I've watched her play, and
I'm a big believer that if you watch someone play a
sport, you know how they are in real life."
"She is really an unselfish player. She puts the goals of the
group, as a whole, in front of her own personal gain."
For the future, Adams is looking at graduate schools for
sports management and is interested in a possible career in
sports event planning. She hopes to leave behind a hard
working team that will continue to
win championships.
"It's bittersweet," said
Adams. "Right now I'm trying
to look at just giving it my all. I
don't even want to think about
(graduating).
"Tm going to miss my
teammates so much."
Adams will certainly leave
behind a legacy that will not be
forgotten by her coaches, teammates
and professors.
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INSIDE SPORTS
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Michael Sam comes out
To weed or not to weed?
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Cynthja Hayes
Senior
Softball
Justin Morrison
Junior
Baseball
Tyler Hunt
Sophomore
Football
BY REBECCA DOU
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BY JAMES SHARPE
Staff Writer
! Sofct^l Player of the Week:
i lotted .750, added three runs,
! two RBIs and a stolen base In
a game sweep
Struck out five of first
sbc batters InTuesd^s
doubleheader
Won NCAA Division III
statistiad title for highest
punting average in 2013
season —43.1 yard average