Katy has dedicated 16 years of her life to playing soccer, earning All-County, All-Metro and All-State honors as a goalkeeper at River Hill High School in Columbia, MD, as well as at Division I University of Richmond. She played her final year of eligibility at Virginia Commonwealth University, where Katy completed her master’s degree in social work with the goal of working in pediatric oncology.

While living her dream playing soccer, Katy’s most amazing accomplishment is overcoming a cancer diagnosis in February of 2004. Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she continued playing soccer through five months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, finding a partner to her dream in Dr. Joseph Wiley, a pediatric oncologist at Sinai Hospital, who tailored Katy’s treatments around her soccer schedule.

Katy stepped up to the role of mentor, when she was introduced to 12-year-old Amanda Post, another Sinai cancer patient and aspiring soccer player from Columbia. Despite having the busy schedule of a Division I student-athlete, Katy stayed in contact with Amanda throughout her treatment and through the JV soccer experience at River Hill High School. After Amanda’s cancer relapsed, Katy chose to run a marathon in honor of her friend and cancer buddy, an aspiring marathoner. Katy completed the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon as a member of Team In Training, having raised $11,000 in honor of her friend Amanda. Amanda lost her battle with cancer on May 17, 2009, just two weeks before the San Diego Marathon.

Katy and her father traveled to South Africa for World Cup 2010. Katy was surprised with a breakfast invitation from the U.S. Men’s National Team and saw Team USA take on England in the first round of play in Rustenberg on June 10, 2010.