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Hanavan sets school records but is hold out for championship glory
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Illustration by Jenn LeBlanc • jkerriga@mscd.edu Photos by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu A photo montage of all-time leading Metro scorer forward Kylee Hanavan. Hanavan broke former Roadrunner and current women’s soccer assistant coach Amy Leichliter’s record for points and goals scored on Sept. 15 against CSU-Pueblo and Sept. 17 against Regis. She also broke Ymara Guante’s record for assists in the ‘Runners’ Sept. 15 win. Hanavan is on pace to set a new team record in goals (31) and assists (77).

Kylee Hanavan has long been the picture of perfection in what is already a nearly flawless Metro soccer team.

On Sept. 15 against CSU-Pueblo, Hanavan scored two goals and added a pair of assists to set Metro’s all-time record in points and assists. Two days later against Regis, Hanavan notched the first goal of the game to raise the mark on Metro’s all-time record for goals scored.

“I think (records) are good for an individual accomplishment,” Hanavan said. “But I’m a lot more about getting team wins.”

Soccer has always been in the Northglenn native’s blood. A Thornton High School graduate, Hanavan was a four-year letter-winner, a three-time All-Front Range Conference selection, and an All-State selection after finishing second in the state in scoring her senior year.

Last season, when the Roadrunners won all 21 regular season games, Hanavan was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year, RMAC tournament MVP and a three-time RMAC Player of the Week. She was one of only four forwards in the nation named to the NSCAA/Adidas All-American team after she set school records in points (71) and goals (30).

After a missed shot in a shootout against Seattle-Pacific in the Division-II Elite Eight to end the season, Hanavan has played this season with more passion than ever. If the Roadrunners can make it deep into the NCAA playoffs again, the super senior is projected to break her own records for the second year in a row with 31 goals and 77 assists.

But Hanavan looks forward to the possibility her records may someday be broken by someone else, because it would mean the team is continually able to recruit strong talent.

If Hanavan seems shy to pay lip service to her many awards and records, she has good reason.
For one, Hanavan is aware that her team and the program are key to her success. Furthermore, Hanavan, like any true athlete, wants just one thing: another championship.

As a sophomore transfer student from Western Nebraska Community College, Hanavan – aside from leading the conference in points – scored the game-winning goal with 39 seconds left in the 2004 NCAA Division-II championship. That’s the real culmination of Hanavan’s accomplishments thus far.

With graduation around the corner, it’s Hanavan’s last hurrah and her final chance for a national title. Statistics and records are well and good, but it’s all about championship glory for the fiery blonde with the lightning-fast on-field moves.

“I’m a senior and I want to go out big, just like we did two years ago,” Hanavan said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to this year.”