Karns City graduate Rossi McMillen was a standout soccer goalkeeper, basketball forward, softball outfielder and track and field hurdler and jumper during her high school career. Butler Eagle GFile Photo.

KARNS CITY — The fact that Karns City graduate Rossi McMillen shined as a student isn’t surprising to those who know her.

The mystery is how she finds the time.

After serving as a standout goaltender for the Gremlins’ District 9 championship soccer team in the fall, McMillen became one of the most productive players for the Lady Gremlins on the basketball court. What she’s done this spring trumps everything.

McMillen ran a leg of Karns City’s 4x100 meter relay team that won the District 9 championship. She made first team All-Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference in the 100-meter hurdles as well as that 4x100. Her high jump of 5 feet, 1 inch, is second-best in Butler County this year. Her time of 16.50 seconds in the 100 hurdles ranks fifth.

Rossi McMillen

And as centerfielder on KC’s softball team, McMillen made first team All-KSAC, hitting .412 with four homers, 16 RBI and 23 runs scored. She ranks among the team leaders in all of those categories as the Gremlins (14-3) rolled to the District 9 Class 3A title.

“It’s a nice achievement, being named All-KSAC and everything,” McMillen said. “But the thing I’m happy about are the team results. I love to compete and we’ve had a lot of success.”

Karns City softball coach Mike Stitt marvels at the accomplishments of McMillen and others like her.

“We ask so much of these kids today, especially the seniors,” Stitt said. “There’s field trips, the prom, finals ... That applies top any school. To do what Rossi’s done in so many different sports, while being such a great student, it’s just amazing.”

McMillen will be going to Clarion University in the fall — while playing no sports. She did talk to the Golden Eagles’ soccer and track coaches.

“After playing four sports for these last couple of years, I’m a little burned out,” she admitted. “I decided I need a break.”

McMillen plans on majoring in accounting at Clarion. KC girls soccer coach Tracy Dailey isn’t convinced she will stay away from sports for long.

“She’ll do intramurals or something at first, just go play,” Dailey said. “But I think she’s too competitive of a person not to try one of the sports teams up there eventually. Sports have been such a big part of her life. Rossi’s going to miss it.”

Just like she missed playing softball her freshman and sophomore years in high school, which brought her back to the game her junior season.

“I had been playing since T-Ball when I was 4, same with soccer” McMillen said of softball . “When I first got to high school, I figured it’d be too difficult to do softball and track at the same time. But I missed softball a lot. I had to go back to it.”

Coaches of the two sports, along with athletic director Josh Williams, cooperate with each other. Track practice was always after school, softball practice not starting until 5 or 7 in the evening.

“We have seven girls on the softball team who also do track,” Stitt said. “When they have a meet, we excuse them from softball practice. These girls will get their work in, especially Rossi. I never have to worry about her.

“When I heard she was coming out for softball last year, I was thrilled. Adding an athlete of her caliber was going to make us a much better team and it has.”

McMillen made first team All-KSAC as a left fielder last year. She moved to centerfield this season and has made a number of acrobatic catches in the outfield.

“With her speed, we can play her anywhere,” Stitt said. “When she’s on base, she has free reign. She steals a lot of bases.”

In soccer, McMillen made 123 saves last fall and found time to score five goals when she wasn’t guarding the net. She shared the team lead in basketball with eight points and seven rebounds per game.

A forward in soccer her freshman year, when she scored a handful of goals, McMillen was asked to move to goalkeeper her sophomore year.

“She’s tall and her hand-eye coordination was outstanding from playing basketball and softball,” Dailey said. “And Rossi is so easy to coach. She’d stay after practice to work on stopping penalty kicks, cutting down angles ... She never stopped working to get better.”

“It helped the team for me to move to goalkeeper — and it’s about the team,” McMillen said. “I’ve always been a natural athlete who could pick up things quickly. I’ve been blessed that way. And I love to compete.”

And the Gremlins love her doing so.

“There aren’t too many Rossi McMillens who come down the road,” Dailey said. “You appreciate a kid like that while she’s here.”