By Mitch Silver

Senior sprinter Caitlin Alexandra Doyle has been named Rye High Athlete of the Month for March by the Rye Lions Club and the high school’s Athletic Department.

“Caitlin has been a wonderful member of our team over the last four years,” said Head Coach Kevin Murphy.  “She puts 100 percent effort into everything she does and is one of the main reasons our team was able to qualify for Nationals in the Sprint Medley Relay.”

At Nationals, Caitlin ran lead-off for the team at 200 meters.  “I’ve really worked on my start,” she said. “You train yourself to give everything you have when the gun goes off. I had a good race, but it was my teammates who followed me that made sure we qualified for Nationals.”

The Lions Club award is given for excellence on the athletic field and in the classroom. Caitlin, who has a 90+ GPA, plans to attend Lafayette College. She said, “It’s close enough for my parents to attend my meets, and strong enough in liberal arts for me to choose my major after I get there.

Her favorite courses at Rye High? “AP Government this year and AP Psychology my junior year, both taught by Mrs. Warner. I’m really interested in Criminal Psychology, and have taken Mr. Dowling’s course in Forensic Science, which I’d like to study further in college.”

Her freshman year, Caitlin was named the Track team’s Most Improved runner and said, “I try to make myself worthy of that honor.” Her coach added, “Cate has truly helped our program because of her passion for the sport and her ability to help her teammates grow and feel included. She is always the first one to cheer for her teammates during a race and makes a point to learn everyone’s name. She has been a great captain on our team and we wish her the best in her future track career.”

Caitlin thanks both Coach Murphy and recently retired Coach McGee for the Lions Club honor. She also thanks her family — her father, who played lacrosse at Yale, her uncle who did the same Lafayette, and her grandfather who noticed her early promise. “When I was 5, our family took a vacation in Rockport, Massachusetts. They had a local road race there, and my dad and grandfather urged me to enter as well. When I won my section, Grandad said to my father, ‘Make sure she keeps running.’ And so I have.”

This win for the month of March earns Caitlin a seat at the table when the Lions Club holds its year-end luncheon. That’s when they’ll announce Rye’s Athlete of the Year.